


The Omega King

by Delirius



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Vikings/Saxons, Dubious Consent, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, Omega Castiel, Prince Castiel, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Warrior Dean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-05-27 07:43:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 77,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6275659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delirius/pseuds/Delirius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being an Omega, Castiel has largely avoided the bloody, bitter politics his elder brothers thrive on.  He lives peacefully in their childhood home, and does not wish for power or wealth or glory.</p>
<p>But when an unknown enemy appears from the frozen fog of the Winter Seas, Castiel is captured and taken from everything he has ever known.  Claimed as the prize of a man ambitious enough to challenge the most powerful Alpha Kings of their time, he slowly begins to realize that adventure and glory might come for him whether he wants them or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unwelcome Guests

Winter’s breath lingered on the nighttime air and, as Castiel rushed to attend to the commotion downstairs, he was forced to pull his robe tighter around him.The servants were apologetic for waking him at such an ungodly hour, but an entire traveling party had arrived unannounced and they were completely unprepared to attend them.

“I told them to leave, to seek shelter at the Inn.But the man refused.And after he refused to give me a name!Said you would never turn away a family messenger…”The Steward’s expression was grim, and grew grimmer still at the mention of the _family_.

Castiel could smell the fear on him, and could not blame him for that.His family was _unpleasant_ , to say the least, but for the most part they left him alone.There were brothers enough to bear the family name, and responsibilities, and burdens.He was young still, and had no part to play until a marriage with a suitable Alpha was eventually arranged for him.To be woken in the middle of night in the name of the family was no doubt an ill omen.

The servants were gathered in the main hall, trying to stoke the sleeping fires into wakefulness and bringing platters of bread, meats and drink to warm the small party of travellers.Their offerings were meagre, so close to the end of the winter stores.

A familiar scent caught his attention, but he didn’t have a chance to dwell on it as one of the hooded men, sitting boorishly with his feet upon the table, jumped up at the sight of him.He bowed in a rather mocking fashion that set Castiel’s teeth on edge.

“The hour is late, my friends.What brings you to my humble home?”

His mood did not improve when the man removed his hood and smiled at him.“Such a cold welcome for your brother, dear Castiel?”

Not wanting to cause a scene in front of the servants, Castiel did go to his brother and embraced him.Scent memories of _family_ and _home_ calmed his nerves, but his tone did not grow any warmer as he spoke.“Gabriel, what are you doing here?Why would you tell my Steward you are a messenger of the family?Is there news from the front?”

“Ah, patience is a virtue.Can’t a poor man warm his bones, and get some sustenance in him, and see that his lovely Omega ladies are-

“Enough!”Castiel caught himself, not liking the anger in his voice.“No food.No wine.Nothing until you explain what has happened.Else, my servants and I are going to bed.”

Gabriel sat down, and beneath all the frivolous greetings he seemed… scared.He smelled _terrified_ , and even the servants were picking up on it.

“I wanted one moment of peace, to see my little brother and enjoy a glass of wine with him before…”His voice drifted off and he rubbed at his arm.Beneath his cloak, it bulged in an odd way and he realized there were extra layers in that one spot.

“Are you injured?” he asked gently, softening at his brother’s distress.They had not been raised to show weakness or ask for help.Gabriel above all their brothers was prone to inappropriate shows of humour to address serious matters.It was his usual way of maintaining the necessary Alpha composure, and now he sat in Castiel’s hall with his head in his hands, looking for all the world as if he wanted to cry.

Gabriel glance at his arm and shook his head.“Yes, but it’s nothing.The truth…” he laughed nervously, “The truth is that the fortress was attacked.I know Michael sent me there because it was an easy position to defend and of no interest to our enemies… but men came from the sea!Cas, I had never seen such men.They looked pure barbarian, and they fought with a battle rage I never believed possible!The fortress has fallen… Michael will be furious, and Luci-”

Castiel was no longer listening.He pointed to his Steward - the man already stared at him with such fear, the gesture was more to focus his attention than draw it - “Alert the guards.Send word into the villages.How long since you left, Gabriel?Were you followed?!”

“No!The force that attacked us was too small to come so far inland.They were… scouting?They had to be!So few warriors-“

“Wake one of the riders.”A servant scurried off to follow his Master’s order.“Fetch me paper and ink, I need to send a warning to Michael.”Another servant rushed off.“Please tell me this is not the first he will be hearing of this?”

Colour rushed to Gabriel’s cheeks.He looked pale.“No.I mean, yes.Don’t you look at me like that!I’m not going to serve myself up on a platter so he can punish me.I don’t even think he cared about the fortress, but I know how this makes us look.”He dropped his eyes and wouldn’t look at Castiel.“I’m… I’m leaving.I’m through, Cas.”

“What…?”Castiel knew he needed to respond to such a ridiculous pronouncement, but his brain couldn’t process how Gabriel could be _through_.“Where will you go?What will you do?”

“I don’t know.I’m a coward, I know.I’ll never be able to show my face in proper company again, but I’m not a warrior, Cas!I don’t want anything to do with the throne, and the wars, and the family legacy.Michael was wrong to think I could lead men just because I’m an Alpha.Men who are all _dead_ now thanks to me.”

“We can work through this!Please.You can’t leave me alone with these lunatics!”That brought a laugh from both brothers.

“I just came here to say goodbye… and to warn you.”

“Gabe, I’m no soldier myself.I don’t even have walls to defend my castle, let alone a fortress to protect my people.We would not be able to defend against an attack from such a force, and if you think they will return-“

“I have no doubt they will return.”Gabriel’s voice was flat and hopeless.

“- then our only hope is to seek refuge with Raphael’s people.Come with us.”

Gabriel shook his head, the very mention of Raphael drawing a grimace.“I can’t.I meant what I said.I won’t tell you where I’m going, so they won’t be able to torture it out of you when they ask.”

“The invaders?”

“Our brothers.”Castiel laughed, and eventually Gabriel did too.Their brothers were certainly more terrifying than the idea of any invaders.

“We appreciate the shelter for the night, but we will be gone by morning.If you know what’s good for you, you will not stay another night in this place.”

 

* * *

 

Gabriel was true to his word, and was gone by the next morning, as if his party had never been there.The servants were understandably rattled, and news had spread through the village.It proved extraordinarily difficult to convince them to act as a coordinated unit, even if it was to protect their lives.

Castiel’s household was packed and ready to leave by midday, having worked through the night, but he would not abandon his people so easily.At the very least, he knew there were a handful of people who would need to be spoken to personally.

No one was surprised that Gabriel was not a capable commander, but it was unheard of for a force to attack from the winter seas.The journey along the coast from the summer seas would prove wasted effort, just to capture a fortress Michael had all but forgotten.The thought of people somehow living beyond the winter seas was beyond comprehension.

There were those that did not believe Gabriel had been attacked at all, which was the most frustrating theory by far.The afternoon was growing late, and Castiel was eager to be off, but he found himself arguing with the Alpha leader of one of the larger villages.

“With all due respect to _you_ , Castiel, I would not put it past the Lord Messenger to abandon his post in search of fine wine and willing women.How do we know the fortress has fallen?”

Castiel had a sharp reply on his tongue, but he was cut short by a yell from one of the children.

“Look, Daddy… smoke!”

All the children took up the cry, their voices both excited and fearful.“Smoke! Smoke! Fire!”

There beyond the woods, where the outer farmstead were located, a large plume of smoke and orange flame rose above the hillside.  At his elbow, the Captain of his guard spoke gravely, but low so as not to cause panic.“That’s not one fire, Sir… they’re burning the villages as they come!”

Castiel’s body was frozen.He watched the children, as their parents rushed out and scooped them up.The entire village burst into panicked motion, but he could not move at all.Beyond the people running to and fro, he could see the outline of his home.

Home.It was small and insignificant, but their mother had raised all seven of his siblings here.Even though Michael, the eldest, would never admit it, the proximity to their family home was probably what led him to place Gabriel at the nearby fortress to begin with.

Things had changed so much since they played in these woods as boys.Their father returned, for one.Castiel had never met his father, who always seemed to come and go in the middle of the night like a thief.He took the elder boys with him when he left, and now they were Alpha men of power and prestige in their own rights, with no time for their old home.

The smell of smoke crept upon the air.It was getting closer.

Castiel found himself being dragged by two of his men, and he snapped out of his stupor enough to run.And even so, he could not help but look over his shoulder, trying to burn the image of home into his mind one last time.

At the carriage, a small crowd of people, those that hadn’t already fled on their own power, waited for him.He wished he could wrap them up in his arms, surround them with feather-soft protection, and keep them safe.But he was just a man.Not even a warrior.

“Run.You may stay with the carriage, but we must run for our lives.We make for Raphael’s abbey.I am sorry I cannot do more…”The grim faces staring back at him broke his heart.  He was about to fail his people, and prove once and for all how dangerous it was to leave a land without an Alpha lord to protect it.

Some long forgotten sense of courage and duty stirred in his blood, surging over the fear and sense of self-preservation that pounded in his ears.He turned to his guards.

“Go with the people.Do your best to protect them.If there are any among you who wish to remain… I will wait at the castle and greet these invaders.Perhaps we can buy some time.”Mere minutes and seconds would be precious to his people.

Three of his men stepped forward, willing to die at his side, and Castiel sent the rest away with no malice in his heart.

They returned to the castle, now like the carcass of a dead thing without the lifeblood of people moving about its walls.There was no throne or seat of power, as he was not a great Lord, but Castiel sat at the head of his banquet table and waited for death.

Beyond the walls, an eerie silence had fallen.No sounds of human life, or birds and beasts… and then the cold, metallic movement of metal.Not sharp, like clanging swords, but the shift of chainmail, accompanied by the dull thud of heavily booted footsteps.

“Sir…” one of his guards began to speak but he choked on the words and went silent.They had their swords drawn and grouped around their Master, but it occurred to Castiel that these men were not soldiers any more than he was.They were Betas, trained to guard a peaceful castle.The had never seen war, and most had grown up in this very village.They had families of their own to protect.

“I would not hold it against you if you left, even now.My life is forfeit, but yours need not be.”

They did not immediately answer, but his Captain turned to him and shook his head.“God alone knows why he forgot to make you an Alpha, Castiel.With your royal blood, you could have done great things for our land.You have a heart truer than any of your brothers, and I would gladly die at your side in battle.”The others voiced their agreement, which made his heart swell.

“Thank you.All of you.I may not be able to defend you as well as you do me, but I too will gladly die as one of you.”He realized his words no longer held the possibility of any other outcome.

Then a knock at the door that threatened to shake the door off its hinges.

When Castiel and his men did not answer, a commanding voice spoke a command in some foreign language and the door began to quiver under blow after blow.Eventually the thick plank barring the door, splintered and cracked under the assault, and what remained of the doors swung open.

A tall warrior strode in slowly ahead of his men, looking around at the castle without acknowledging the pointless force arranged before him.He walked all the way up to the other end of the table and sat down in the chair at the foot of the table, facing Castiel and figuratively turning the tables on him.

He barked an order, and his men - and women, as Castiel was surprised to see - surged forward, great excitement on their faces.They found burlap sacks, and emptied boxes and trunks to make way for Castiel’s silver candlesticks and the ornate vases and statues of angels his mother adored.

The strange man remained sitting calmly at the foot of the table, staring at Castiel without saying a word.Castiel, for his part, knew it was pointless to try and negotiate.They would not listen - they might not even speak his language - and drawing attention to himself would likely speed up their inevitable deaths.

He was able to remain composed until one of the warriors - stinking of unwashed sweat and untempered Alpha testosterone riled up by battle - leaned in and sniffed his neck.Castiel jumped at the tickle, and outright fell out of his chair when an axe came flying past his head.

The room exploded into chaos as his men drew their weapons and rushed to his aid.Castiel cried out to try and gain control of the situation, but his mind couldn’t form the right words and then blood sprayed across his face.

All three of his loyal men lay dead around him.The grief at their loss overwhelmed him to the point he barely noticed the warriors were deep in argument amongst themselves.

A hand grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, like a puppy, and lifted him to his feet.He found himself being pushed behind the leader, who had an axe in his hand and was loudly confronting the warrior who sniffed him.The man had a gash across his cheek.

Apparently the axe found it’s mark.

The language they spoke was hard to follow; loud, guttural sounds punctuated by expressive intonation.But Castiel did not need to understand the words to know what the argument was about.

He could smell the possessive Alpha pheromones swirling around him, some of the strongest coming from the leader himself, who hadn’t loosed his hold on Castiel’s shirt.

A sense of dread crept upon him, and for the first time he worried he would _not_ die.Having grown up with four older Alpha brothers, Castiel did not think or act like Omegas were expected to, but he heard the stories of the untimely ends that Omegas met travelling alone on the open highway, or at the hands of invading forces bent on rape and pillage.

For the first time he feels like his presentation is a weakness he cannot overcome by thinking his way out of the situation.Surrounded by barbarians and Alpha pheromones surging in the wake of battle, his body feels like a fragile thing.A trinket that could be carried away in a burlap sack to a far off land.

The dissenting warrior was voicing his offence aggressively and, as if an order had been given, the other warriors stepped back from the two men.

A hand grabbed Castiel and pulled him out of danger.It belonged to a woman, red hair crowned with small braids where it wasn’t shaved flat along the sides.To his surprise, an _Omega_ woman.She winked at him and pointed to where the two warriors were quickly and efficiently… fighting to the death.Over _him_.

They did not fight with the graceful precision Castiel was used to from knights of his own people.There was no theatre about the duel, just quick and brutal thrusts and blows.It was efficient, and terrifying in its intensity.

The other warrior had height and strength on the leader, and was easily able to hurl him back with a blow from one boulder-like fist.But the leader was quick and relentless.He rushed forward and landed a crushing blow to the man’s knee - which drew a shriek of pain that made the surrounding warriors laugh.The previous blow had thrown the sword from his hands, but the leader walked over to where the axe that started it all - his axe clearly - was embedded in the wall.

Without saying a word, he walked over to the man still clutching his knee, and embedded the axe in his skull in one swift motion.

Castiel heard himself make a sound of terror, but it was drowned out as the warriors cheered and rushed forward to congratulate the victor.

Over the chaos of the brief celebration, Castiel felt a burning gaze locked on him, and he looked up to find himself trapped, unable to look away from the pair of fierce green eyes that held him hostage.

He felt fear.Terror.The dull throbbing at the side of his head slowly came into focus and he touched his temple.His fingers came away with blood, though he could not remember it happening.

Darkness began to crowd his vision, and the last thing he remembered before he succumbed to it was green eyes.Green eyes and that overwhelming _scent_.


	2. The Worst Thing Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read this far, hopefully you have some sense of the fic this is going to be. It's um, not fluffy.
> 
> Just taking the opportunity to flag the tags for you (and note I'm throwing everything in there just in case, they don't describe the focus or plot of this story yet).
> 
> This chapter is intense, because Cas is going to reach rock bottom before he can build himself back up as the man he needs to be (to survive my fic, apparently). He's not quite there yet, but it will not always be this intense!
> 
> And yes, I am very, very sorry. I watch too much HBO.

When he regained consciousness, it was once again night and Castiel was surprised to see the wide expanse of stars instead of his bedroom ceiling.As the wind caressed his face, the terrible realization - that he was still living that awful nightmare - hit him hard.His heart seized with the shattering loss of… But no.It was everything, and if he tried to take stock of it all, he would shatter into a thousand pieces.Tears pricked at his eyes.

He shut them tight, trying to tune out the world and praying for sleep or death, or whatever would keep him from giving them the satisfaction of seeing him cry. _This is all happening to someone else,_ he told himself.Such an easy lie to believe when he felt so numb and helpless. _Just close your eyes and wait for it to be over_.

The red-headed Omega appeared above him, blocking out the stars.She smiled and said something in that godawful language of theirs.Some instinct he did not understand, awoke in him, and he reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Water!Please!”His lips were dry and cracked, and he tasted dried blood when he ran his tongue over them.The brief flash of _whose_ dried blood it was threatened to make him sick, so he redoubled his efforts.

But he begged to no avail.She did not understand him, and left looking confused.Frustrated, Castiel let out a groan and allowed himself to collapse back onto the ground.

Almost immediately, _startlingly_ _so_ , the leader of the warriors was standing over him, frowning.He looked over his prize to assess if he was injured and then called the Omega woman back to them.She returned with a bowl of some foul smelling gruel, and an apologetic smile.

Castiel groaned for the second time when she held it to his face.He noticed the small tug of amusement at the corner of the leader’s mouth, before he reached down to encourage him to eat.The motion made Castiel panic and he flinched away from him - not very successfully, with his hands and feet bound the way they were, but far enough that the message was clear.He did not want to be touched.

His display of fear was undesirable, apparently, as the leader hissed through his teeth before speaking brusquely to the Omega woman.He was insistent about something, and from her body language she both sought his approval and had no choice but to do what he wanted.She considered Castiel thoughtfully, before moving to crouch in front of him.

“Charlie.”She repeated the odd sounding word a few times and tapped her chest.“Charlie.

When he looked confused, she repeated it again.“Charlie,” and then pointed at the leader.“Dean.”

“Dean,” Castiel repeated, without thinking.The word brought a huge smile to the man’s face, and he nodded his approval.

 _Oh.Names._ They were doing introductions, apparently.

He cleared his throat and tried to sit up straighter, regain some of his composure.“Castiel, fifth son of the Royal House of Eden.”

The two barbarians blinked at him in confusion and exchanged a glance.‘Charlie’ made him repeat it a few more times, before she shrugged at ‘Dean’ and guessed. “Cas?”

Castiel found himself once again under the piercing, scrutinizing gaze of those green eyes.He felt the colour rise in his cheeks, and in response, tried to level his most defiant look at the man.

“Cas.”Dean said it only once, rolling the word in his mouth as if he was tasting it.Perhaps the taste pleased him because he patted Charlie on the shoulder approvingly.

Even without his approval, she was ecstatic at this breakthrough.Pointing at the bowl of gruel, she said a word Castiel couldn’t catch even when he focused. 

He wasn’t even hungry! He was dying of _thirst_ , and only knew how to say ‘Charlie’ and ‘Dean’.

An unbecoming pout was no doubt forming on his face.He remembered how Gabriel never failed to tease ‘ _his sweet, naive Omega_ ’ when he made that face - and then at the thought of the brother he would never see again, there were the tears.He curled up, bringing his knees to his chest, and hid his face.

The sound of whispers above him didn’t make him reveal the humiliating tears running down his cheeks, but when he felt a warm hand on his thigh he couldn’t help himself.Dean knelt beside him and wiped the trails of tears away with his thumb.He undid a leather strap from around his waist and offered Castiel a drink of water from his own flask.Since the prisoner’s hands were still tied, Dean held it up to his lips so he could drink.

Castiel drank greedily without shame, his thirst slowly dying away from a scream in his head to a whimper.He didn’t notice the water pouring down his chin and onto his chest, until he stopped to take a breath and inhaled a heady Alpha scent.He was inches away from Dean’s face .And Dean’s face had a _hungry_ look on it.

He backed away, and pointedly refused the flask when it was offered once again.To his frustration, Dean grinned at him.The man tilted the remaining water from the flask into his own mouth and threw the empty flask on the ground beside Cas, earning a stifled huff of irritation.

When he walked away, Cas looked mournfully at the empty container, and decided that dying of thirst was not the worst thing in the world.

 

* * *

 

The worst thing in the world came, not that night, or the next day when Dean was misled by a terrified villager who pointed him to the old penniless church. A warrior slit his throat in thanks.Everything of value had been carted off to Raphael’s abbey years ago, and only a few musty old manuscripts were left, filled with plenty of religious lecturing and not nearly enough adventure.Hardly worth a man’s life.

He hoped Dean searched and searched for the rest of his life, and never found what he looked for.He deserved worse for kidnapping Castiel alone, but it would have to do for now. _Maybe one day he will leave that little dagger of his unattended and-_

Castiel caught himself imagining what it would be like to take something so powerful, he didn’t care how _small_ it was, and press it deep into Dean’s neck, slicing until he bled.Bleeding him until he died.

The fantasy was comforting, and it lulled him into a somewhat restful sleep.

He should have stayed awake.

Castiel dreamt of being at home in a warm, dry castle.  Only… it wasn’t his cozy and familiar castle.  It was his father’s palace in the South, made of shining white marble and an obscene amount of tasteful, if ostentatious, gold detailing.

_He is wearing white linen robes, such as the King wears as a bridegroom on his wedding night and feels the cool breeze against his legs as the fabric teases at his nakedness.  There is someone waiting for him in the bed, and he feels shy though he has no reason to.  His bride will expect him to be sure of himself; not to blush like a maiden, but to take what is his and claim the child in his Omega’s womb.  He removes the linen robes, feels the wind blow cool and cold against his bare skin before he climbs into bed beside his beloved._

_But something feels wrong._

_As he lays in bed trying to figure out what it is, he feels wetness.He feels fear, and his heart thuds in his chest.When he throws back the covers he screams.Dean lays beside him, pale and unmoving as a corpse.He has gold coins on his eyes, and a bloody rag tied around his neck that does nothing to stem the blood pouring down onto his white robes, and onto the white sheets, and onto Castiel.And with horror, he knows it was him that slit his lover’s throat._

_There is so much blood._

_And he can’t stop screaming._

 

* * *

 

It was the pain in his throat from screaming that woke him, hurling him back to consciousness without any mercy, and with no slow, lazy transition to the feel of his hands pressed above his head and his face shoved in the dirt.A heavy weight - the weight of _someone_ on top of him, makes it hard to take air into his lungs to clear his head.

He became aware of his body in pieces - his hands, still tied and held above his head, his skin prickling with goosebumps at exposure to the night air and the teasing trickle of sweat as it moved across his body.There was something tied around his head, blinding him against the sight of whoever was spreading his legs and tearing his body apart from the inside.

Castiel had never had a mate or taken a lover.He knew he would be summoned by his family one day, to be given to an Alpha who would benefit the whole family and provide for him.He never wanted to risk forming a lifetime bond with someone he’d inevitably have to leave.And so he hid away in his castle and waited.

Here he was, the fool, still a virgin waiting for his husband to guide him through his first heat. _Sweet, naive Omega_.Saving himself so that some brute could use his own blood in place of slick.

He screamed again as the fullness from his inside him suddenly emptied, and did not question the sudden relief.He was aching and in pain, but he found himself able to breathe in half sobs and wheezes, and if the darkness creeping into his vision was a sign of mercy, he would soon be dead.

At the periphery of his consciousness he could hear angry voices around him.The monsters were killing each other in fire and blood, which was fine, as long as they didn’t try to bring him back from the darkness to hurt him again.

 

* * *

 

Castiel never wanted to wake again, but he did.He must have done something to make God very angry, to keep the mercy of death from him.

He couldn’t open his eyes right away, so instead he held his breath, and listened, and felt.His body lay on soft sheets, satin maybe, and there was a goosedown pillow to cradle his head.Everything ached terribly, but mostly his insides and only if he moved.

He had no intention of moving.

Acknowledging the pain between his legs brought back some of his ordeal.He remembered it happened.So there was that.He also felt a lurch as he tried to remember if he had been knotted.He couldn’t recall any of the details without the nausea rising up from the pit of his stomach to choke him, and so he didn’t.

 _What could it help to remember anyways?What was done, was done._ If he had to survive, then he’d have to live somehow, broken Alpha bond - to remind him of that terrible night forever - or not.The experience as a virgin was terrible, but he was thankful there was no heat, and no chance of a pregnancy.His gratitude tasted shameful and bitter on his tongue.

There was the noise of someone clearing his throat at the side of his bed, and the smell of a timid Beta holding a candle.Castiel’s eyes flew open in terror.He was screaming before his brain even processed if there was a reason to, which brought footsteps raining down the hallway towards his room.

The red-headed Omega, Charlie, ran in before the others.Her eyes scanned the room quickly, and then she threw her weight against the door and bolted it from the inside.Angry knocking shook the door, and the rage behind that sound made Castiel think his heart would tear through his chest and onto the floor.

She yelled at the door, causing a low, threatening growl to come from outside.The door stopped shaking.

She spoke loudly to the door.There was compassion in her voice, and more authority than Castiel had ever thought an Omega’s voice could hold.

Another growl.And then silence.

Charlie breathed out, looking relieved her bluff hadn’t been called.A wooden door, even as thick as that one, would not be able to stop an Alpha in a full rage, so her risk was calculated.

She came to the side of the bed, but pulled up a chair to give him space.Having someone so close, made his skin crawl, but he could tell Charlie was doing her best to intentionally channel comforting Omega pheromones his way.Which was nice of her, for a barbarian.

When she started speaking in her unintelligible language, Castiel stared at her blankly.She sighed and gestured for the Beta to stand beside her.

“She asks how you are…” the Beta said tentatively.

Castiel was surprised, but didn’t have it in him to speak yet.

“Ah yes, I was told to explain.You’re to rest, so um- don’t strain yourself.My name is Inais.I was told I was useful to my captors as long as you found me useful.”He gulped and stared pleadingly at Castiel.“I know… I know terrible things have happened to you, but if you say you don’t need me to translate for you, they’ll kill me!”

At his side Charlie said something impatient sounding, and Inais stopped pleading.“She asks how you are…” he repeated.

“I’m alive…” Castiel said softly.

When the message was relayed, Charlie’s eyes softened and she gingerly reached out to take his hand.She changed her mind at the last minute and placed it on an empty expanse of satin sheets instead.

Inais was a good translator, and his presence allowed them to have a halting sort of conversation.

“That’s good.” Charlie said, smiling sadly at him.“When we found you, we weren’t even sure about that.”

Castiel looked confused.“Found me?”

“In the woods.Oh, yes… you might not have seen.He um, took you to the woods, away from the camp.”

A sudden, violent nausea hit Castiel as the intangible _him_ loomed over his senses for a moment.He leaned over the side of the bed and threw up.Inais was there before he knew himself what was about to happen; there with a smooth, practiced movement and a bucket. _How often has he done this for me?_

“Sorry…” he said, but both of them reassured him it was nothing.

“Do you remember anything?” Charlie asked quietly, biting her lip.“We only know what happened after we found you.Do you remember who did this to you?”

Castiel shook his head, and then slowly he stopped and began to sob into his hands.“Dean…!”

Charlie gasped.“What?!NO!”She forgot herself and reached out to pull his hands away, not even stopping when he flinched.“This was _NOT_ Dean!He was with me the whole night!We went looking for you when we returned to the camp and you were gone!  When we found you he was already... Dean pulled him off you and brought him to face justice.  I know you don't remember Cas, but please believe me that this was not Dean.  Dean _saved_ you.”

“But h-he looks at me-“ Castiel began, shuddering at the memory of every interaction with Dean since their first meeting.

“That’s… that’s just Dean, I’m sorry.He’s an unmated Alpha, and a blockhead.But I swear to you it’s nothing more than that.”

He didn’t entirely believe her.“Then who…?”

Charlie bit her lip.She looked at the sorry state of him and seemed unsure.Had she been any less than a warrior she would have left it at that.

“You and I have an understanding.We’re Omegas, and not whimpering, fainting, fragile Omegas.You and I are warriors!”She thumped her closed fist against her breastbone as she spoke.“Your body must heal, and your mind must heal.There is no shame in that, after the battle you’ve been through.But you are a warrior wounded, not destroyed.

Will you give up or will you see your enemy brought to justice?!”

Despite himself, Castiel smiled.It was too soon for him to process what happened, or what would make him feel better if anything.But a primal part of him wanted his attacker, Dean or whoever it was, to feel the pain he did.To feel _his_ insides ripped open and torn apart and the blood drip down _his_ legs.  "I will look on his face, and see him brought to justice."

He shuddered at the darkness that suddenly lived so close to the surface within him.Charlie let out a whoop of excitement.

“Dean has sworn to gift a blood eagle to the man who did this to you.”The bloodlust burned bright in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it sounds ambiguous, only Cas is suspicious of Dean because he couldn't see his attacker. Dean unambiguously did NOT do this.
> 
> Let me know, as I go, if things are unclear.


	3. The Floating Death Trap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this has been posted, I edited the time they spend at sea back to months (as I initially wrote it) instead of weeks - which is more realistic for a Viking voyage like this.
> 
> So it's no longer a realistic length for a trip of this sort, but I'm giving Cas the time he needs to learn the language and find some peace.

The nightmares were his constant companion.They attacked him at night, which was putting everyone at ill-ease; the men slept in shifts when they could, and his screams would wake the entire ship.

Castiel knew the men were not pleased with the time they spent in the ruins of Gabriel’s fortress, waiting for their leader’s _slave_ to recover.The business of being at sea - an entirely separate ordeal for Castiel - was harsh and unforgiving at the best of times, and he got the sense the crew would have mutinied for less.

Dean himself was largely the force that kept them in check.He was relentless in keeping the men focused on their work, and did not rush to Castiel’s side when the nightmares came.Instead, Dean assigned Charlie to their ship and she was the one he would see when he woke.The men nervously joked it was bad luck to have one Omega on board, let alone two.

Then there was the other matter.

Though not a single warrior spoke of it, they had all seen the dark side of their leader come through and take his measure of flesh from one of their own.They heard the screams, the like of which would echo through Hel for all eternity.They heard the bones crack beneath his knife, and the sound of a man trying to breathe with his lungs spread out atop his back like bloody wings.They saw their leader’s eyes, and knew that for one moment, Death himself had taken possession of his soul.

It was the one thing that made the nightmares easier to bear.When Castiel suffered in his dreams, he would look up and know the man above him suffered too.Suffered greater pain, perhaps.And it gave him the will to go on.

Castiel did not want to acknowledge it, but he was grateful to Dean for the rage and revenge he took on his behalf.

No one else had ever done such a thing for him.Michael and Lucifer were his brothers, commanding the largest and most powerful armies in the known world, and he did not expect them to look for him, let alone rescue or avenge him.

_Perhaps they could not, even if they wanted to._

Months had passed on that goddamned ship.At first the motion of the waves made him constantly ill, but now he walked with confidence though the ground beneath his feet was never where it should be.He panicked, first at the sight of how _small_ the ship was.Having never been in such a contraption, he could barely believe it wouldn’t sink, and then the idea of sitting in a space barely big enough for the men to sit and row…?

He was used to that too now.They ate, and slept, and fought, and worked shoulder to shoulder.There was no room, _literally_ , for bashfulness or pride.Though he could not have foreseen it, the pure, practical need to separate his feelings from his daily life - the intimacy at sleeping with his face pressed up against another man’s chest, or the sexuality of being one row away from an Alpha rutting into his hand - helped him recover from his ordeal much better than he would have otherwise.

“Among my own people, it is taboo to be so open about addressing sexual needs,” he tried to explain to Charlie when she asked.For all his planning, Dean had sent Inias with another ship and they were separated by a storm early on.  Apparently this was not uncommon.  Thankfully, both Charlie and he were quick learners, and when they finished their shift at row, or the wind offered to work for them, they often huddled at the back of the ship and tried to learn about the other.

“Why?Do you not eat among others?Sleep among others?”

Castiel laughed.“Yes, and no.If you can afford it, like my family could, you slept apart in different rooms.And it’s not the same as eating together.That’s different.Social.”

“It’s natural!”

“Yes and so is pissing off the side of the ship, but I am _SO_ tired of being invited to every event.”Tired from a night of rowing, a warrior was standing one row away from Castiel, yawning and relieving himself over the side of the ship.He looked confused when he saw them staring in disgust.

Both Castiel and Charlie laughed out loud, and agreed they could do without ever seeing some things.

“I was surprised to see an Omega among your warriors.That is another thing my people would never stand for.”

Charlie grinned.“It’s not encouraged, but it’s not forbidden either.Most Omegas have no interest in spending months and years away from home.The heats… it takes some time to learn how to handle the heats on a raid.”

“Is that not dangerous?Trapped in a confined space with nowhere to go if they tried to-“

“Stop.Don’t- don’t think about such things.Warriors of all presentations respond to strength, not weakness.I learned early on that if you speak the Alpha language; push back when they push you, and most importantly - prove that you have a warrior’s spirit - they flip that crazy little Alpha switch in their head.Instead of seeing you as _an_ Omega to claim, they see you as the _band’s_ Omega.Something precious to be protected.I know it unsettles you, but what Dean did for you… I’m sure he’d do it for me as well, just maybe without quite so much posturing and growling.”

Castiel gave her a small smile.“It’s confusing really.I’ve never been courted by an Alpha before.I mean, I know he’s not courting me but when he’s near me it _smells_ like…”He shook his head and dismissed the thoughts that would do him no good to speak out loud.“And sometimes he avoids me.He gets _angry_ when he can’t, and I couldn’t spit without hitting him because there’s _no room_!I don’t understand him at all!”

Charlie laughed.“Don’t try.He’s just as stupid and confused as you are, and… in his own way he’s trying not to hurt you.If that-“ she swore using a word Castiel didn’t understand, “hadn’t lost his mind, I’m sure Dean would be spending every moment of this trip with his hand down your pants.So let’s be very, very thankful for small mercies.”

Castiel was blushing.He knew he was blushing, which he always did when the men spoke candidly about Dean’s attraction to him.It was uncomfortable.The part of him that longed for a mate, that felt a swell of pleasure when Dean made a small gesture to care for and protect him - that part of him was in direct contrast with the knowledge that he was a slave.That he was kidnapped and brutalized, and would be forced to live according to Dean’s whims.Right now, it was… pleasant.

But that didn’t mean it would always be so.

A large drop of rain hit his face.He looked up at the sky, growing angrier by the minute, and gave Charlie a pout.There was no roof to the boat, so when it rained the men pulled down the sail and crouched beneath it as they rowed against Njörðr’s lonely tantrums, and Rán’s greed for souls to add to her collection.

It was a miserable business and the water of the icy winter seas was frigid.The mood of the entire crew was affected as they manned their stations and prepared to fight the gods.

A loud crack sounded above their heads, and Castiel feared the mast was about to fall upon their heads.Instead, Dean’s voice rose above the storm, gleeful and triumphant.

From where she sat a few rows ahead, Charlie looked back and rolled her eyes.

“Thor smiles down on us!Let us meet his challenge, shall we?”His face was radiant, glistening with rain and lit by the strobe of lightning in the sky.Castiel felt his spirits lift even though he did not believe in their gods, or the honour of dying after expending maximum energy.

They had not yet reached the point of the night where the idiots took turns shaking their fists at the night sky and challenging Thor to throw even _more_ at them… but even when that happened, Castiel would have to admit -

The goddamned warriors were starting to grow on him.

 

* * *

 

The ship was peaceful, bobbing gently on the waves of a smooth and sadly, windless sea.Castiel had long lost track of the days, and the number of storms they battled, but Dean would let the men rest when they could and they sorely needed it now.

They set the sail over them, as if it was raining, but this time it was to provide some shade from the unforgiving sun as the men slept in rows between the benches.

Castiel smiled to himself.He enjoyed his own private time and space, even when crowded into the floating death trap he had come to love.It was oddly beautiful, this thing that defied logic to float when it should sink.Not only did Dean take care of it, having the men tend the sails, and mend the wooden beams between storms, but when he had it commissioned he must have paid a great price for the deep black coating of tar on the outside - not seen on smaller vessels - and the ornately carved horse’s head at the bow.It was odd to somehow feel _at home_ in it.

Castiel could imagine Dean as a knight on a proud black stallion, but a warrior traversing the seas with a ship as his steed would work just as well.

At the far end of the ship, Dean was the only member of the crew still awake and sitting out in the sun.He poured over some drawings on treated leather, maps that could bear the brunt of the frequent dousing everything inside the ship was subject to.

Castiel could not explain why, but he rose and gingerly stepped over the sleeping men until he sat beside the man.

Dean looked up, giving him a questioning look.“You should rest.We don’t know how long the wind will abandon us.You might be rowing for a week straight if this lasts too long.”

That brought a grimace to his lips.The rowing was exhausting, but cathartic in it’s own way.Raw physical labour.Castiel, once the consummate noble Omega, soft and smooth skinned, had seen the muscles in his arms grow stronger and calluses form on his hands from gripping the oars.

“I never got the chance to thank you for what you did before-“ This was waved away, and Castiel quickly dropped it at the dark look which appeared on Dean’s face.“- and I also wanted to know.What happens to me when we reach land?When we reach _your_ land?”

“You live with me.”

Castiel waited for him to elaborate, and then sighed.“Do you have a family?What do you do when you’re not trying to cross the sea on a piece of wood?”

Dean laughed.“I make my living doing this.Raiding.But my people are farmers, I suppose.It’s my younger brother that has the head for such things.He loves working the land.When I am at sea he lives with the man who fostered us as boys.”

This was more than Dean had spoken to him in the entire time he knew him, and Castiel was pleased to see the fondness in his voice as he spoke of his family.“I’ll live with you, with them?” he asked.“What… _else_ will I be expected to do?”

Irritation flashed across his face and Dean scowled out at the sea, not meeting Castiel’s gaze.“I am _trying_ to be patient!Has that earned me _no_ faith in your eyes?If I was going to force myself on you I would have done so already!”

“Then am I to work the fields?Scrub your floors?Wash your clothes?I have never done anything useful in my life, and I… I haven’t been sure of anything in my life since you walked through my door.”

“I found you… I asked the gods to speak to me on this raid, to show me a sign of what they want me to do.To tell me why they make my spirit so restless that I feel more peace battling the sea than living a boring, mundane life digging in the dirt!”

“But what does that have to do with me-“

“Because _I found YOU!_ ”Dean was not a man of many words, and he couldn’t express himself properly.“You are my answer.I knew that the moment I laid eyes on you… the moment I smelled you, and felt _purpose_.”

That was not quite the declaration of unrestrained Alpha attraction, or the love of some romantic notion of a one-true mate.

Somehow it was… better?

Before he realized what he was doing, Castiel reached across the space between them, taking hold of Dean’s collar and pulling him in to press their lips together.They were both shocked by the gesture and the closeness, but then Dean’s tongue pressed forward and demanded entry into Castiel’s mouth.

He was pulled into Dean’s lap, the two of them straddling the bench, half hidden from the men snoring softly beneath the sail.There was _want_ and _need_ pushing forward in his mind, but somewhere at the back his old enemy _fear_ was trying to make itself known.

Dean was the one that pulled away first, breathing heavily and trying to shake the daze that gripped his mind.He made no move to unseat Castiel.“You’re not ready for this.”

“Are you _telling_ me that?Don’t you think I know better than you?” Castiel muttered, confused by his feelings and the ever changeable Alpha confusing things even more.

“Yes.You very nearly ask me if I intend you as my bed slave, and then you smell of fear when you kiss me?I am a raider, Little Edenite.I take what I want, and I am not ashamed of it.And I do not want an Omega that does not want me.”

He leaned forward and kissed Castiel, chastely this time, but in doing so lifted him up - making Castiel's legs quiver at the thought of being held in those arms - and placed him back down on the bench.Alone.

Castiel reached up and touched his lips.He hated this game they were playing - Dean pursuing him when he did not want him anywhere near him, and now rebuffing him when he was willing to explore that hateful need inside himself?  Clearly he was going to have to work harder to learn the rules if he was going to beat Dean at his own game.

Dean had started to retreat beneath the sail to take some rest himself, but he stopped and rushed to the edge of the ship to squint at the horizon.  Castiel followed his gaze and saw small dots moving in the sky.   _Birds_ , he thought, and before the thought could process he heard Dean's cry of joy.

"LAND!"


	4. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An edit I'll be making to Chapter 3 (The Floating Death Trap) is changing the length of the voyage. I had written it as if it took months, and then realized an actual Viking crossing would probably only take weeks. But for the purpose of this fic, I'll need to change it back (long enough for Cas to get comfortable with the language).
> 
> And though I'm picturing fictional versions of real places in history, they're going to be fake countries. The Country of Eden and the tribal lands of Winchester.
> 
> Sorry about that! Trials of an unbeta-ed work in progress :(

The crew’s spirits were high until they pulled into the inlet itself.

The ice cold beauty of the land, was so different from the green pastures and forests Castiel was used to.What vegetation he could see was sparse - brittle, sharp looking things that had never known the long days of plenty during a warm summer.As they drew closer, even the houses reflected the desperate living eked out of the cold, hard rock.  There were no huge, drafty castles rising up to the sky, as he was used to, but buildings built long and low.They jutted out of the rocky hills, their roofs made of mud and thatch reaching down to touch the ground.

But something was wrong.As a stranger to this place, he did not know what danger to look for, but he smelled it before he knew. _Fear_ and Alpha pheromones being alerted for battle.The men grew silent and he felt Dean put a protective hand on his shoulder.

“Stay away from the edge.”

Castiel did as told, crouching down behind Dean as he raised his shield against the edge of the ship.All along the bow, warriors raised their shields protecting themselves as they returned home.

“What is it?” Castiel whispered.The thought of dealing with another round of invaders made his hands shake, and he steadied them by clasping at the hem of Dean’s shirt.If it was possible, he would have buried his face in Dean’s chest, found the pulse point in his neck to reassure him he was safe, and let him hold him. _And where the hell did that thought come from?_ he wondered.But they were preparing for battle, and he could control it no more than the speed of his heartbeat.

“When raiders come home from a long summer away, there are cheering crowds to greet them and great feasts in their honour which last days-“

“Weeks of wine and food…” murmured another warrior, who he had come to know as Benny.

Castiel looked out along the empty shore.“Where is everyone…”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?”Dean’s hand tightened on his axe.Castiel noticed he had a habit of making a small movement with his hand when faced with a fight - flicking his wrist and loosing his grip, twirling the weapon in his hand.Or readying to send it flying at an enemy, what did Castiel know?

They brought the ship right into the shallows, alongside a long wooden dock.Almost all the warriors jumped out, crouching low and moving into the village.Those that remained were signalled to take the boat somewhere safe, waiting on a signal to declare safety or request assistance.

Dean moved at the head of the group, but would instinctively match his pace to Castiel’s so that he knew without looking that he was still there.Still safe.

The wooden doors to the largest long house opened, and a weathered looking blond man, with a wicked looking scar across his eye, walked forward.

“John Winchester’s wayward son returns!” the man called, in lieu of a greeting.From behind him, more men appeared and they formed a long line, readying to face the returning warriors.

There were enough of them to prove a challenge.Moreso with the men returning after a long sea journey and a raid.

“Where is my father?” Dean asked, drawing himself up to his full height.“Why does he not come out to greet us?”

“Ah, there was some… difficulty while you were gone.Villagers were going missing, and your father, great Jarl that he was, went out to bring them home.”

“Was…?” Dean repeated slowly.Cas pressed his palm flat against Dean’s lower back for support.

“He has not returned.In his place, young Adam stepped up to claim the throne.And I, ever the humble servant, guide the son the way I once guided the father.”

Castiel could feel the depth of the growl Dean let loose in reaction to this.“My brother, where is he?Azazel, I swear to the gods, if so much as a hair on his head is harmed…!”

“Of course, you inquire after the young Jarl?Or are we to assume your care only extends to the well-being of one brother and not the other.”

Dean rarely spoke of his family, and only mentioned a younger brother once.It was news to Castiel that the man had more siblings, but then again, he himself was no stranger to strained relationships between brothers.

“Just tell me where Sam is…”Dean crouched, causing the entire group of warriors to adopt a battle stance with him.

Azazel held up his hands, that ever present _shit-eating_ grin never flinching for an instant.“Now, now.Come inside.We have prepared a feast for all our brave warriors who have returned to us.You can rest assured that both your brothers are safe.”

At his signal, he and his men returned inside the longhouse, confident at Dean’s next move.

“Dean, it’s a trap…” Charlie whispered from behind them.

“I don’t care.If he has Sammy-“

“We will not leave Sam to suffer.” Benny interrupted, speaking firmly.

Castiel remembered Charlie’s claim that they would do anything for one of their own and he took comfort in it.Apparently she did as well, because she let the matter drop.

If it was a trap, then they would just have to fight their way out of it.Without letting go of Dean’s shirt, Cas raised his other hand to unsheathe the small dagger that hung belted to his pants.Dean looked over his shoulder, but didn’t move to stop him.

“Only use it if you have to.There’s no honour in throwing your life away for nothing.”

Two warriors remained outside as sentries, and the rest entered the longhouse.To their surprise, they came face to face, not only with Azazel and his men, but what looked like the entire village.Men, women, and children were gathered in audience with their chieftain - a boy of about 15 winters who looked frail in the great wooden throne.Azazel stood beside the throne, a triumphant smile on his face.

“Where are you manners, Dean?Kneel before your Jarl.”

Dean looked around the room.Besides their warriors and Azazel’s, most of the people there were too young or too old, too untrained and too scared to survive if things got dangerous.

Castiel knew he was among their numbers.

When Dean looked back at him, he shook his head, begging him not to do anything stupid.

To Castiel’s dismay, Dean turned back around and very slowly, knelt.One by one the warriors behind him followed suit.

Azazel laughed.An easy victory.He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and without further prompting the boy addressed Dean.

“I am Jarl now.I am the rightful heir of John Winchester and I claim my right.”

“Does anyone dispute our Jarl’s claim?”Azazel spoke to the entire room, but his eyes focused on Dean.

Castiel didn’t understand why the boy, a younger brother of Dean’s, would have a stronger claim on the throne than he did.How the proud man would bend the knee without putting up a fight.

No one raised their voice.

“Excellent.Then I would see every man arrived by ship this morning, pledge his allegiance.

Dean growled low in his throat, but when a murmur went up from the crowd they did as told.A short, simple pledge was repeated by all the men.Relief settled over the villagers, now that a battle seemed less likely.

Azazel leaned down and whispered in the boy’s ear.

“Good.Now that that’s done, there is another matter to settle.” He raised a hand to point at Dean.“So few of you have returned.You have lost my warriors, and you have lost my ships.”

“Our raids brought more than enough wealth from the lands of Eden to make up for our losses…” said Benny, trying to help the situation.

“Good.”The boy smiled.“Then consider your debt paid.”

“Wait-“ Dean’s eyes grew wide and he started to stand.Azazel nodded at his men and two stepped forward.Castiel had knelt with the others, to not draw attention to himself, but now the men came straight for him.

Dean grabbed his arm, keeping him kneeling beside him.“No.You can have every last gold coin, but this man was not taken as a slave.He is not part of the treasure.”

“Of course I can have every last gold coin.They’re my coins!”The boy punctuated his petulant speech by hitting his hand on the arm of the throne.“And I will decide what is and is not part of my treasure!Azazel?”

“Yes my Lord?”

“This man has sworn loyalty to me, has he not?”

“Yes, my Lord.Not a moment ago.”

“Then tell me, is he lying?What reason would a full-blooded warrior have to bring a foreign man to our shores, a free-man instead of a slave?”

“He is an Omega, Lord.An unmated one by the smell of him.Perhaps your dear brother has far greater designs to gain power than he pretends to.That is the only explanation I can think of for why we have a Royal Prince of the House of Eden in our midst.  Unless the boy is smitten, and is truly in love with this foreign scum-”

Castiel had told them before, but hearing it in their own language the warriors turned to look at him in surprise.Their expressions were not entirely friendly.Charlie closed her eyes.She shook her head as the meaning of that sunk in.  Not merely from a house in Eden, a  _Prince_ of Eden.

Dean stared at Castiel with a hollow expression on his face that broke his heart.Even searching the man’s face, he couldn’t tell if there was surprise among the other emotions.

Castiel shook off Dean’s hand and stood.

He was a Son of Eden, and now he was being called upon to claim that birthright in some small way.

“What plots have the two of you made, since you obviously have not been using your time more… pleasurably?”

“I am of the House of Eden, but it’s my brothers that you probably care about, and they couldn’t care less about me.”

“Still… an Eden Prince is no prize to take lightly.And is worth more than your brother would like us to believe.If what I have heard of this High King and his armies is true…”

“Then I want him.”The boy said.“You can keep him safe for me, Azazel.

“No!”Dean stood angrily.A murmur went through the whole room as rage wafted off him in waves.

“You will defy the will of your Jarl?”

“He’s a boy who doesn’t know better!It’s you that’s doing this.I will not let you have Cas.”His words had a tone of finality, and his axe was out in his hand.

Relief flooded through him, and warmth knowing Dean was still fighting for him.

“You will have no choice!You lost two crews and two ships.My guess is that is not the only way you have failed your people.”Azazel stepped forward and scanned his eyes over Dean’s men.After a moment he looked satisfied and turned to the crowd.He singled out a young girl of barely 10 winters and beckoned her forward.

One of the warriors growled, and the girl’s mother choked back a sob.

“Come here.Your Jarl commands it.”Adam nodded at the girl and she went to Azazel.

He positioned her in front of the kneeling men, and drew a dagger from his belt.“Now.I know your warrior code claims you need to hold your tongues if I ask you to tell me the truth about Dean Winchester.So consider this… motivation.”

The warrior who had growled now stood.He stepped forward, and gave Dean an apologetic look.“I will do as you ask, if you spare my girl.There is no need to hurt her.”The man was a Beta, as was the girl’s mother.Castiel felt sorry for them.

“There were men of mine on your raid.I see none of them have returned.Were they all lost at sea?”

“I-I don’t know-“

“Then tell me about the ones you _do_ know!”

The man shook as he recounted the names of the men that died, and how they died.When he mentioned the man Dean fought in Castiel’s castle, Azazel demanded confirmation from the men.A duel.An acceptable death.

Then Azazel asked about the man that attacked Castiel.He asked for him to tell the story twice before he was satisfied.“And you all saw him do this?”

The warrior shook his head.“N-no.Dean saw it, and he told us.”

“So you gifted a blood eagle to one of _my_ warriors, on the word of _one man_?”He glared at Dean, cruelty in his eyes.

“I saw it happen.I saw him attack Cas.”Charlie remained kneeling, but she was trying to be brave.She looked panicked, and smelled like a cornered animal.Come to think of it, a lot of them were.

“An Omega?You want us to take the word of an Omega?”

“You can take _my_ word!” Dean snapped.

Azazel regarded him with a smile.He stood up taller and looked around at the villagers.“Let it not be said that I am not a just man.As a sworn warrior of the Jarl, and loyal to our people, I bring a motion to judge Dean Winchester for the death of my man.”

Another of Azazel’s men seconded the motion, and Adam voiced his approval for things to go forward.

“What’s happening?” Castiel asked Dean, growing scared.

“A trial.This is a trial now.”Dean was pale, but standing firm.He was twirling his axe in quick, nervous movements.In turn it was aggravating Azazel’s men.The whole room felt like a room full of tinder, ready to explode into fire.

“We all understand the great violation and tragedy of an unmated Omega being so… ravaged-“ Azazel was pacing up and down, and stopped so close in front of Castiel he could smell the man’s rancid breath.“I’m certain the kind people of this town would celebrate the man who exacted revenge.We just need to hear you tell us what happened, and who did this to you, and we’ll put this behind us.”

“I… I remembered it happened.”

“You remembered _what_ happened?You saw the man who did this to you, of course?”

Cas looked at Dean, and knew that he was just as sick and scared in that moment.He did not look good.His shoulders sagged, and his head was bowed.Cas realized the longer he spent with him, the more he could just… sense things about Dean.

“I… no.”

“Can you repeat that a little louder for the good people?”

“No…”Tears came to his eyes and he started to shake.Goddamnit, he was _trying_ to remember what happened.There was nothing he wanted to do less, but right now he _wanted_ to remember if it would save- “Dean, I-“

“Don’t look at him.Do you or do you not remember what happened?  Start at the beginning.  How did he take you?”

“I don't… I don't remember how-” At that the tears flowed down his cheeks.

“And do you or do you not remember who did this to you?Can you affirmatively say it was the man brutally murdered by Dean Winchester?”

“I can.”

Azazel looked surprised, and then clarified.“Because you saw him?”

“Because I trust Dean!”

A murmur went through the crowd at that, and Azazel knew he had them.“So you can’t tell us what happened.And you don’t personally know who did this.But you believe this was enough to flay they skin from a man’s back?To break every rib where it met his spine.One.By.One.To spread them and rip the lungs from his chest while he still drew breath and then let him drown in his own blood?”

Castiel started to sob.He didn’t know how to turn this around, and he was terrified at what Azazel was trying to pretend actually happened.

“A horrible way to die, I know.Can you tell us one more thing, little Omega?Who was the one who gifted my man the blood eagle?”

He didn’t say Dean’s name out loud, but he looked at him.For help, to apologize.But it was read as clearly as if he had pointed his finger.

The quiet din in the room grew louder.Azazel reached up and ran his fingertips over Castiel’s jaw.

He flinched away, and ran to Dean, who took him in his arms without a word.

“Ladies and gentlemen.Each and every man and woman who has sworn loyalty to the Jarl, I ask you now - if this matter had been brought before Jarl Adam and all of you, _as it should have_ , how many of you would gift the man a blood eagle.

Not a single hand, villager or warrior was raised.

“And given what you have heard today, how many of you believe that Dean Winchester committed murder?”

This time, to Castiel’s great distress, hands began going up all over the room.  The villagers were arguing, yelling and speaking over each other.

Dean’s arms tightened around him for a moment and then released.“Run.” he whispered.The noise the crowd was making was enough to cover his words, but Azazel was watching them.“When I tell you, you run.You run and you do not stop.Follow the river.There’s a waterfall.Ask for Bobby.”

Cas shook his head and tried to press closer.He didn’t want to leave Dean, no matter what was coming next.“No Dean, don't make me leave you-“

“RUN!”

Dean shoved him towards the door and ran at Azazel with his axe.

The whole room burst into action.Azazel’s warriors leapt up to stop Dean, and the villagers were trying to get out of the way.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and all he could see was Dean collapsing under the blows of so many... too many men.  Cas felt numb, but he couldn’t let Dean throw away - his life, it had to be his life didn’t it?Tears streamed down his face, and digging deep within himself, he found the will to run.

The warriors did not move to help Dean, but they did not move to stop Cas either.Charlie squeezed his hand as he ran past.

And then Cas was running, faster and farther than he had ever run before.He ran through a land completely foreign to him, ran as if the very hounds of hell were nipping at his feet.His lungs burned, and his legs burned, but he couldn’t stop.

Because always from behind him, there came the sound of men and dogs, and the hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are unbeta-ed, so let me know if there's something glaring I missed.


	5. Hunters

The adrenaline kept him going until night fell.His pursuers were relentless, and even with Dean’s instructions ringing in his ears, Castiel had no idea if he was going in the right direction.He was hungry, he was cold, and he was scared.

No matter how fast he ran, or how many ways he tried to throw them off his trail, he would only have moment of peace, long enough to hope, and then he would hear them on his trail again.He was barely keeping one step ahead of them, and even that was a miracle.

There was no way to keep this up much longer.

Castiel leaned back against a tree.He needed to catch his breath and let the burning in his lungs settle long enough for the next run.Shaking wildly, his legs collapsed beneath him and he bit the inside of his cheek as his body connected with the ground.

Exhaustion, and fear - he was getting used to those.But there was something different about the emotions running through his brain.There was no explanation for the miracle that had kept him alive this long.

Whenever he thought he reached the end of his rope, there it was - a surge of adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream.And now… he felt pain.Suffering.A deep desperation that was a fragile thread upon which a life could hang.

It made him think of Dean.

Why had he risked his life so Cas could run?Why hadn’t his warriors helped him?

These people made no sense to him.They were like domesticated wolves, playing the part of civilized men and then letting their baser natures get the better of them.

A stick cracked near him, and he jumped up.Behind him a young man, was inching towards him. _How had he gotten so close?_  

Cas started backing away, preparing to fight for his life.The young man wore no mail and carried no sword or shield.Instead, he had a bow drawn back fully.The arrow was notched and ready to fly, and there was no way he could outrun that.

“I will not hurt you.”To prove he spoke the truth, the bow was slowly lowered and the string grew loose.“I do however need you to tell me who you are and why those men were chasing you.”

“They wish to bring me back to the village.I am running, because it will not end well for me if they do.”He summoned his courage and stared at the man.“Are you going to turn me over to them?”

“No.I killed them already.I now just need to decide what to do with you.”

Cas looked surprised.That must have been what provided him with the opportunity to breathe. _But why…?_

“But why…?”

“They were Azazel’s men.They know better than to come into this part of the woods.These woods do not belong to them.”

A deep, shuddering breath of relief let loose from his chest.“So what happens to me now?”

“That depends on why you smell like my brother.”

His cheeks grew bright red, and he looked at the man more carefully.He hadn’t noticed before, thrown off by the lean build and calm manner, but there it was.Hidden in the way his eyebrow quirked, and the way his shoulders moved.

They weren’t quite the right colour but there they were. _Those green eyes_.

“I suppose that makes you Dean’s Sam.”

Sam nodded and laughed.The remaining tension from his posture released and he came forward to help Cas sit before he collapsed.“No, I’m my own Sam but I can see how you might have been misled.Is it him you run from?”

“No… he helped me escape.And I think they might hurt him because of it.I think they already are.”

“You can sense that through your bond?”

Cas raised his head, confused.“What?No, he and I have never-“

Sam laughed again and held up his hands. “No.Not another word.I don’t care what the details are, I never want to know what happens in my brother’s bed.”

“I have never-“

“You stink of Omega distress.Even if they were the dumbest men who ever lived, Azazel's men would have been able to find you because you are leaving a scent trail for an Alpha to follow.Your bond does that.When you calm down, we shall get you somewhere safe and deal with that later.But if Dean is in danger, I need to know.”

Cas leaned forward.Sam’s presence was calming, and if he could help Dean…

“He is.He told me to run.I wanted to stay with him, but he made me.”

“Sounds like Dean.”

“When I left, Azazel’s men were hurting him.Dean and I never bonded, but somehow I have this feeling that he might not survive…”

Sam clenched his jaw and stood up.“We go, now.If Dean is running out of time, we have to work fast.”

 

* * *

 

The food was terrible.If he never had to eat another bowl of fucking _gruel_ again, it would be too soon.

“Sticks to your stomach, real nice, don’t it?”

He smiled at the woman and nodded.“Thank you, Ellen.I was hungrier than I knew.”

“If those fools told me we were having company, I’d have cooked up something more.We should just be thankful they all left or there’d be little enough to go around.”

Cas found himself pushing the food around his bowl distractedly.“Thank you for helping me.For trying to help Dean.”

She smiled.“Well, you were just about ready to collapse when you arrived.Sleep did you good.Food will do you good.And when they get Dean back home - which they will - and we get you two back together, you can stop scent marking my house.”

He choked and started to sputter.

“Oh honey… I know things are complicated.It’s Dean’s specialty, making things complicated.But you do recognize the signs, don’t you?”

“S-signs?”

“I can’t imagine an Omega not being able to notice the signs of his first heat.  Surely your parents taught you?”

“My family did not speak of such things.I’m the only Omega in my family and my mother died before a marriage was arranged.It never came up.”

Ellen looked astonished.“What sort of barbaric culture sends an Omega into that situation without any information?”

“Mine apparently.  My brothers always told me my Alpha would teach me.”He bit his lip, not sure he wanted to know.“So, can you tell me what’s happening to me?”

“In a perfect world, when a pair is ready to mate, the Alpha creates a home for them.A space that feels safe and secure.Who knows how or why, but I’d like to think it’s simple.When you feel safe and loved, and you find yourself planning out your life with that someone special…?Your body knows, and it tries to help.That’s what all the scenting business is about.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Bobby and I may be Betas, but my daughter Jo was an Omega.I wanted her to be happy, and I wanted her ready for anything life threw at her.Omega or not.”

“She went through this?”

Ellen shook her head.“Yes.Over Dean Winchester no less.The boy was a shameless flirt, and had a head full of battles and raiding parties, and nothing else.Broke her fool Omega heart, he did.But it was nothing like this.There was no bond to break between them, and she moved on.Joined the family business."  She grew sad at that, but tried to recover for Castiel's sake.  "Good thing too, I suppose.Turns out Dean Winchester might have found himself a mate way out in gods know where.”

Castiel blushed, and he found himself raising a hand to the spot between his neck and collarbone.He was sweating, despite the cold.

“Look, sweetheart.I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, but you can have the most perfect Alpha in the world - and let’s be clear if we’re talking about Dean Winchester he is nothing of the sort - but if you go into this blind and just let things _happen_ to you… you are going to spend the rest of your life bracing for the next hit to come.And it will always come.”

He knew she was right.Ever since Dean came into his life, Castiel had been trying to survive between one disaster and the next.

“I cannot understand why this is happening now.I have lived in luxury, and personal comfort.I have met gorgeous men who wanted to seduce me, and nothing.But now that I’ve been kidnapped?Raped?Had to run for my life for so long I lost track of time?How can _this_ be what my body responds to as safe?”

She looked at him with pity.“You’re a thinky one.I can see why he likes you.”

Voices from outside drew their attention.Ellen stood up and went to the door, but it was all she could do to hold the door open and stand aside as they rushed in.

Cas’ breath caught in his throat as he saw the broken, bloody mess Sam carried in his arms.A tall, woman with a halo of blonde curls walked ahead of them and cleared the table in one smooth motion, sending bowls and cutlery clattering to the floor.Sam lay his burden on the table and everyone scattered to gather bandages, blankets and other supplies.

“Dean…?”Cas could barely hear his own voice, as he walked hesitantly towards him.

But Dean heard him.He opened his eyes, one of which was almost swollen shut.And the son of a bitch _smiled_.

Cas rushed to his side, smiling back at him.Dean was in bad shape, but he didn’t see any of that.All he saw were those green eyes locked on him, and that smile that sent heat pooling in the depths of his belly.He reached out and took Dean’s hand in his own.

“I thought I would never see you again…” he said in a whisper.He ran his fingertips over Dean’s forehead and along his jaw.

Sam put a hand on his shoulder and he moved back to give them space to work.

They had beat Dean, badly, but nothing that would keep a man like him down for long.It was the stripes of torn flesh crisscrossing his back that made it so painful to look at him.He didn’t need to ask to know that this was Azazel’s punishment - or at least as much of it as he was able to get before they rescued him.

Cas put a hand over his mouth, and someone grabbed his elbow to ease his fall to the ground when he started to feel woozy.

“Stay there.” He was told.The others had their hands full cleaning and sewing up Dean’s wounds.“We have to stop the bleeding, and move him before they find us.”

He was happy to stay out of their way.

 

* * *

 

What Dean needed was time to heal.

Castiel’s entire focus was to get him up and on his feet, and he neither complained or asked questions when his new companions gave him instructions.

From what he gathered,Azazel’s men came to find them in numbers too large for the small group to defend against.They barely had time to escape into the mountain once they stopped as much of the bleeding as they could, and even then they had to stop and do it all again when they arrived at a secret encampment in the woods.

Hunters, Sam called them.Different from warriors in some way, perhaps in that they did not seem to have a hierarchy that made sense.Otherwise Cas couldn’t see much of a difference.They seemed to be homeless more than anything.

They moved the camp constantly, and though they would never speak to him about it, he came to understand that these precautions were not against Azazel’s men.

“How is he?” Sam asked, sitting beside Castiel as he changed Dean’s bandages and cleaned his wounds.

“Better.I’ll have your head if you wake him, though!He’s not ready to be up and about, but he’s already talking about his big plans to get his vengeance on Azazel.”

Sam grinned and offered Castiel a bowl of food.

“I’m not hungry-“ he started, but Sam wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“You have to keep up your strength.You’re going to be no good to him if you die of hunger before he gets better.”

“Yes, feed him.Do _something_ to make him stop mothering me.”Dean groaned as he sat up and stretched.Castiel cursed and rushed to try and secure the bandages.

“Do you want me to leave?!” he asked, peevishly.

“Never.”

Castiel blushed, and found himself at a loss for words.The others were convinced that Dean would somehow heal more quickly if had the strength of their bond near enough to scent.He wanted to be near Dean regardless, but was grateful for the excuse to lay next to the man and care for him.For his part when Dean finally regained consciousness, he breathed in deeply and seemed content.Cas was still not clear about what was happening between them, but he was not ready to complain.

Sam rolled his eyes at the looks on their faces, and held out Castiel’s bowl of food to Dean.He gladly accepted it and shovelled the contents down his throat.

“Cas is terrible at relaying useful information.Tell me the truth, Sammy.”

“When you left, the disappearances began to happen more often.More quickly.When Jo went missing… I went to our father.I appealed to the warrior he used to be, and he took a party on a hunt to find them.We waited so many days, and then weeks… I looked for him, Dean.I swear I tried to find him, but there was no sign of any of them.I think Azazel had been waiting for something like this to happen for a long time.He put Adam on the throne, and started talking about seeing me settled and mated.I had to run…”

Dean grew more upset through the story, but he winced as Sam mentioned what finally made him leave.“That bastard.As if it wasn’t bad enough when Father tried to push you into mating.”

“You’re an Omega?”This surprised Castiel.He thought with everything that had been going on, with his heightened hormonal state, that he would have noticed something like that.

“Yes.”Sam didn’t elaborate, but Cas knew there was more to it than that.He began to ask for details, but a low growl from Dean convinced him to stay silent.

“Sam’s business is his own.We don’t need to talk about his presentation.”

That earned him a small smile from the younger man.“Alright.If you think you can ride, Bobby has found us a witch.We think she might have information about our father.  No battles.  No fighting.  Just talking.”

Dean grinned and slapped his brother on the back.

“A witch?”Castiel raised an eyebrow.“He can barely walk, and you want him to go in search of some crazy old woman?”

“She has the sight.Her magic might guide us to something that could help find Father and the others.”

Castiel scoffed.Lucifer had a fondness for such nonsense, but he had a dark sense of humour.Castiel suspected a great deal of the stories he told were to anger Raphael, who was completely averse to the mere mention of ‘evils’.

“There is no such thing as magic.”

The two brother exchanged a glance, and Castiel was not certain if it was amusement, or pity, or fear that passed between them.


	6. The Scrying Pool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have gotten carried away at the end there, so be forewarned. No ragrets!
> 
> I hope it at least makes sense: unbeta-ed!

Through the layers of sleep, Castiel felt a growing concern that it rained in the night and the wet soaked through their bedding.A few layers closer to consciousness, and he woke with a start, afraid he had soiled himself in the night.

The ground was dry.His clothes were dry to the touch.

And Dean’s side of the bedding was cold to the touch.

Castiel tried to put the odd dream out of his mind, as he walked into the woods to find some privacy to relieve himself.He tried to focus on preparations for the short journey they would undertake.Sam insisted he come along with the brothers, and soon he had invited the pretty blonde woman who went with them to rescue Dean.

It had all the air of the picnics their mother would take them on when they were children.They would go down to the river and play in the water, while their mother and the servants set out breads and meats and cheeses to eat when the sun dried them off.

A lifetime ago.Perhaps another life altogether.

Pushing such sad thoughts from his mind drew him back to the dream.Cas found himself reaching between his thighs, and sighed with relief when his hand once again came away dry.But then, biting his lip he reached back between the cleft of his ass.

It was considered a sin to try and urge the body into reacting _sexually_ , and so he had studiously avoided exploring certain areas of his body.But now, a shudder went through his body as he brushed his entrance.He felt his body react and his Omega channel opened enough for his fingers to be coated with a silky, slippery liquid.

It was a pleasant sensation, but his mind still had full control of his body and he jerked his hand away.He stared at it, as if it was a foreign limb.One that was trying to betray him, by displaying the evidence of his arousal. _Slick?!_

He rushed down to the nearby stream and washed his hands of the offending substance.

 

* * *

 

If his companions noticed his silence, they did not draw attention to it.Dean and Sam held easy conversation, teasing and threatening each other by turns.Castiel began to wonder if he and his own brothers were

There was no doubt that Sam was in love with the blonde woman, Jess, and she with him.They stole looks and touches whenever they could, and even Dean was making an effort to include her in the conversation.

When the brothers rode ahead to scout the trail, she hung back and matched her horse to Castiel’s.

“You ride well.Where you come from, they have horses as well?”

He nodded.“Beautiful horses.My brother Michael has the greatest stables in all the land, and I would sometimes visit his estate just to ride them.”

She seemed to think better of making Castiel long for home, so she nodded her head to where the boys had disappeared.“You and Dean have grown close.I’ve never seen him this way with anyone.”

Castiel blushed and tried not to think of that morning.“You mean he’s never waited this long to claim a slave of his?”

Jess bristled, and her horse veered away for a step.“That’s… that’s not what this is about at all.I know why you think that.You’re not wrong.It is not uncommon for our men to do exactly what you fear.But Sam is nothing like that.And even though they could not be more different at times, I know Dean has the same good heart.”

“You and Sam…?”

She smiled softly and nodded.“Sam has been trying to earn enough money to buy a small farmstead, and then we hope to be mated.It’s been difficult.I lost my family as a girl, and Sam’s father refused to help us, because of our _situation_ , and-“

“What situation?Dean mentioned that yesterday too.”

“Sam and I are both Omegas.”Cas’ eyes grew wide.“I know how it sounds.We’ll never have pups, even though we would love a litter of our own.John Winchester took this as a personal affront _to himself_ and threw Sammy out of his house.Bobby and Ellen were kind enough to take us in, but Sam couldn’t sit by what with Jo gone missing.Things have been hard lately.I’m so grateful he has Dean by his side again.”

Dean was going to let his Omega brother mate with another Omega?Castiel knew Michael would have gone to very _extreme_ lengths to prevent him from doing something so foolish.Omega and Alpha pairs were outcast from society with a viciousness few others were.Something about blaspheming God’s gift of fertility.

She shrugged, and smiled sadly.“It doesn’t matter though does it?Whatever happens, happens.As long as we can be together, I would give up everything.”

“I think you two make a beautiful couple.”Castiel couldn’t help but feel warmly towards her.It was such a vulnerable thing to confess to him, and she did so without reservation.He bit his lip.“Um.Between Omegas… this morning I woke up _slick_ -” the word came out in barely a whisper, but Jess heard him.

“Does Dean know?!” she whispered, barely containing her excitement.

“No.I’m not sure I want him to know.Is this what a Heat is like?”

“It could be nothing.Something might have aroused you temporarily.”She clearly did not believe any of that.“Or… it could be an opportunity for you and someone you love.Someone you might consider a mate some day?”

Castiel was spared from answering by the sound of horses returning through the woods.The brothers returned with looks of triumph on their faces.

They had found the witch.

 

* * *

 

It was worse than he had imagined.Castiel’s head was full of Lucifer’s stories, of evil witches stealing and eating pups who wandered too far from home, and laying curses on all those who crossed them.But even that had not prepared him for the sheer stink and decrepitude of the cottage.The floor was somehow muddier than it was outside, squelching beneath his feet.A stench of sickness and death hung in the air, though it wasn’t clear to him if it was from the animal bones hung as decorations or talismans, or something far more sinister.

All three of his companions let their hands hover over their weapons when they passed one odd thing, in that house, or another.Castiel still had the dagger Dean gave him at the docks, but he was unused to wielding it and did not remember he had it.

“Intruders…” said a creaking, hissing voice from the darkness.“Why do you disturb my slumber?”

Dean spoke for all of them.“We seek the counsel and guidance of the Norns, wise one.We seek our Father, and the others who have gone missing.”

The old crone teetered forward.In what light there was, she looked more monster than woman, and more dead than alive.“That is not what you seek, young Alpha.But you,” she pointed to Sam, “may yet find the answer to such a question.”Castiel couldn’t quite place where her eyes might be, so bulbous was her face, and so hidden was it by the dirty strands of hair.“You bring me an Edenite, to ask the favour of the Norns?By rights they should pluck his eyes from his head and turn his mind to madness!”

“You will taste the sharp end of my axe if he so much as makes a sound in fear.”Dean’s threat hung heavy in the air.The crone regarded him and then laughed - a wild, creaking laugh that held no mirth.

“No matter to me.I am merely a servant of the Norns.I have no bone to pick with the young warrior.”She began moving about the room, opening jars and taking handfuls of powder from boxes on shelves.Everything she gathered went into the bubbling pot over the fire.When she was satisfied, she spooned the mixture into four goblets made of finely smithed gold, and placed them in front of the group.

“Do you trust her?” asked Sam, eyeing the foul smelling liquid nervously.

“No.But this is the last hope we have of finding Father.If you want, I will drink and you can wait outside.”Dean reached for the goblet and the crone smacked his hand with the dripping spoon.

“Greedy, filthy hands!You must swear the price, and either all will drink or none!”

“Price…?” Dean said, frowning.His eyes darted to Castiel.

“Silver for my trouble.What the Norns choose as their price will be different for each of you.”

“Perhaps you should not do this…” Dean said, turning to Castiel.

But the crone repeated her warning.“All will drink or none!”

Each of the four looked the others in the eye, and even Castiel nodded his assent.Dean unhooked a coin purse from his belt and tossed it at the feet of the crone.

She cackled at him, a glint in her eye, and pointed to the drinks.“All of it.Not a drop left.Then you must walk down to the cave and bathe in the gods spring.They will speak to you.They will tell you the answers your hearts desire, and truths more terrible than you can imagine.”Her eyes fell on Castiel.“They will tell you the future.One that is changeable as the mist, and everlasting as the mountains.They will show you what you need to know and what will destroy you.”

“That sounds encouraging…” Castiel muttered, but he along with the others swallowed down every drop of the thick, unappealing draught.

The crone walked with them to the door, but would go no further.She pointed one crooked finger at the cave.

Just before they disappeared inside, Castiel turned and looked over his shoulder.To his surprise, instead of a crone, a young girl stood in the doorway of a pleasant looking cottage.

Dean had tight hold of his hand, and when he moved Castiel was forced to follow.The cave narrowed to a dark tunnel, where no light pierced the darkness.Castiel pushed close to Dean, and behind him he felt Jess slip her hand into his free one, linking the four of them in the black.

They moved slowly.Painfully slow.The darkness felt like it was eating at Castiel’s eyes, trying to burrow into his skull and devour him from the inside out.

And then they saw the light.

It seemed to come from deep within the pool itself, though no source could actually be seen.Castiel was drawn to it in a way he could not understand.Along with the light there was a song, thousands of voices singing in harmony, the tone so close to that of nature it blended and disappeared.

He met Dean’s eyes and the man smiled brightly.“They call to us.The gods wish to speak to us.”To Castiel’s surprise, Dean unbuckled his belt and dropped it to the floor.He pulled his shirt over his head, and began undressing.

Castiel blushed, and backed away uncertainly.The embarrassment seemed only to be his own, as Sam and Jess followed suit.Clearly all gods expected such things when you swam in their waters.The draught was making his head dizzy.His limbs felt loose, and his legs no longer seemed capable of holding his body upright.

He felt a strong arm wrap around his waist, keeping him standing strong.Dean’s eyes, those green eyes that always made his heart stutter, were heavily lidded.The black of his pupils were blown so wide Cas felt he could see in to the man’s very soul.

He leaned forward, trying to do just that, clutching at Dean’s shoulder as he felt his own belt loosen, and his clothes slowly stripped off his body.

“All of us, or none.”Dean said softly.His lips tickled against Cas’ ear and he shivered.

Sam and Jess were already in the pool.They swam until they disappeared into the darkness, lit from below until the very last moment.

Dean went in first.His hand never left Castiel’s and slowly but surely he walked him deeper and deeper into the pool.Cas felt self-conscious, but it was far away, so far away he could no longer remember why he ever feel such a thing.The motion and soft sounds of the water became all his senses knew.

And then he heard the voice.

“Ask your question.”The voice belonged to a single woman, but she seemed to speak at once with the voice of a young girl, and a woman, and a crone.

“Tell me my future.”It came out as a command, instead of a question.

He both saw himself, from afar, and felt himself in his body - sitting on a great marble throne he recognized as his Father’s.Before him, his brothers knelt and bowed their heads.He raised a hand to bless them, and realized he was dressed as a King.

“My future?” he asked.“How can this be?”

“It only gets one question.Mustn’t be greedy.”

The vision widened and he saw a second smaller carved wooden throne, upon which Dean sat.He watched as Dean stood and went to his brothers.To his horror, he watched him pull out a sword with glowing writing all along the blade, and one by one he cut off the heads off his kneeling brothers.

“No!Why?!How could he-“He felt sick to his stomach and tried to wake up from the vision.

“It only gets one question.” The voice repeated.

The vision continued and Dean walked over to him.He pressed Castiel back towards the throne, and it disappeared in favour of a warm king’s bed with silk sheets and goose feather pillows.

Dean kissed him, not softly like the few times they had kissed in real life, but rough and possessive.His teeth ran raw along Castiel’s lips and chin.

When he was done he began to slowly work his way down his body.Each kiss sent shivers up Castiel’s spine and made his back arch upward, trying to seek some more contact with Dean’s golden, sun-kissed skin.

The man’s shoulders were broad.Castiel couldn’t help but run his hands over the muscles of Dean’s arms as he braced himself above his body.Taking in the sight of Dean like this made his mouth water, salivating at the thought of his tongue on that skin.

He couldn’t resist, and he licked a warm stripe over Dean’s collar bone and up towards the spot where his mating mark would go someday.Perhaps it was already there, as it felt like past, present and future all existed in this place simultaneously.

That drew an Alpha growl from deep and low in Dean’s body, and Castiel could feel it rumble against his skin as they lay pressed together.His hands ran over the raises and valleys of his lover’s body, and he whimpered as he lost contact when Dean moved lower and he could only tangle his hands in his hair.

Dean’s mouth moved with purpose.Cas felt worshipped _-_ and then Dean took his cock, already rigid with arousal, into that burning heat of his mouth - and he felt _savoured_.The sensation was overwhelming.He found himself bucking up against Dean’s firm grip, pushing him down into the mattress.His body chased a feeling he didn’t quite understand, moving without his permission, without his conscious thought directing it to roll his hips to feel the soft friction of Dean’s mouth and to urge his head back down when the loss of touch was too much to bear.

This pleasure was all for him.It felt selfish and greedy, but he was powerless to fight against both Dean’s strength and his own body’s desperate, singular need.

He was untouched by pleasure, both from his own hand, or by another - his brain was stupidly trying to make some sort of distinction with that - but a clever flick of Dean’s tongue had his senses overpowered by a blinding white light and electricity through every nerve of his body.His hips moved in jerky stutters as his orgasm rose to the highest heights and then fall back down, slowly, where he found Dean licking his spent cock clean, and then looking up at him and obscenely licking the cum off his own lips.

Castiel shuddered, but it was a cold, delicious shudder.Between his legs the sheets were soak with sweat, and cum, and slick that he could no longer hold in.

“I’m dripping for you…” he whispered, placing a shaking hand on Dean’s chest.He could feel a shiver run through Dean’s body at those words, and the man moved up again, lowering his body to regain full skin-to-skin contact.Cas could feel his heart, beating fit to burst from his chest, slowly calm, and slow to match that of Dean’s beating a few inches apart.They were breathing as one, inhaling on the same breath, and exhaling a moment later.

But they were not one yet.

Dean reached a hand down, between their bodies and between Cas’ legs.He didn’t need to go far, as Cas could feel his thighs already coated, but his hand pressed on with purpose.

Somehow Cas found his legs being pushed back towards his chest, steadied by Dean’s shoulders to give him full access to Cas in a position that made him blush furiously.

His hand was slippery with slick, and Dean slowly rubbed at the tender rosebud.

An alarm went off in Cas’ head at the touch, and the haziness of the world around him started to clear with a stabbing sharpness.A memory was trying to form.

But there was Dean still above him - staring at him with love and lust in those damned green eyes, and he willingly returned to the moment.

Cas let out a small whimper as he felt his body being breached.Dean was working a finger inside him, and Cas knew this was different to the pleasure of having his cock sucked.Because instead of pleasure he could move _into_ , it was _inside_ his own body.There was an itch inside his own body, a dreadfully wonderful lust that he couldn’t reach.

“More…!” he whispered hoarsely, his fingernails digging into Dean’s shoulders as he tried to pull the not-nearly-enough contact further inside his body.

But Dean wasn’t having any of it.With single-minded purpose, he worked Cas open.He used one finger.Then two.Then three.

“MORE!” Cas yelled, growing frustrated.He had tears in his eyes, and Dean met his gaze and grinned that infuriatingly charming, self-assured smile.

“I need to hear you say it.”

Cas didn’t understand, and whimpered and moaned beneath him.Dean kissed his mouth, deep and passionate, and that drew his focus back to the matter at hand.

“I-“ he started, stammering shyly.“I want you inside me…”He whispered the last part, only for Dean to hear.

A disembodied woman’s voice laughed softly in the distance, but that was not part of the moment between them and it went unnoticed.

Dean was a god above him, with all the power of the sea and sky shifting within his body - barely contained and shaking with want and release.

He was a man who didn’t need to be asked _twice_.

Their eyes were locked.Cas’ heart was speeding up, anticipating - rightfully so - as the moment he felt Dean’s cock push into his body he just about lost his mind.His Alpha - _his_ Alpha - was claiming him.

A broken moan escaped his lips, and Dean captured it in a kiss.Cas’ legs were straining under Dean’s weight.The relief when the body weight pressing down on him shifted in that moment, was short-lived and quickly forgotten.

Dean moved inside his body, slow at first - intentionally gentle in it’s touch and cruel in it’s patience - and then the warrior in him took over.Where their bodies joined, Castiel could feel the moment Dean let loose his Alpha.It shocked him to realize it had being waiting this whole time.That it was not the part of Dean that had held him down and pleasured him up until that moment.

If he had been overwhelmed before, he was completely lost now.He was willing and pliant beneath his Alpha, his body fully opened and accepting of whatever was given to it.

This was different than before.Where Dean had taken his time, he now moved with ruthless efficiency.Their bodies knew their roles, knew their goal and there was no time wasted on soft touches and kisses.Dean’s mouth found the spot between Cas’ neck and collarbone and where once he would have placed a tender kiss, he bit down hard enough to break the skin and mark his mate forever.

Cas’ eyes flew open at the pain in his shoulder, and as an unexpected pressure began to push outwards, from inside him.He scrabbled at Dean’s back, as pain punctuated the mindless pleasure, but Dean was still not in his right mind.

“D-Dean…!” he cried out.

The soft pillows and sheets disappeared first from the vision.Castiel realized his back was pressed into hard rock, and instead of bedding, warm shallow water lapped against his body.

The pain had pulled him out of the haze he was in, and his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness above him, and the pale blue light from below him, and the feeling he was being torn apart from inside.

He pushed desperately at Dean’s shoulders, and managed to rouse him from the haze he was in.The man’s eyes finally began to focus and settle on his own.

“Cas…?”

“H-hurts…” he choked out, and Dean immediately looked down and took in the mating bite, and where they were joined and knotted together.

Cas felt the warmth flood his cheeks and body again as he saw the look of hesitant joy on Dean’s face.

Of course.Dean was waking up from a dream to discover the dream was real.  Castiel could feel the surge of happiness flow through the man as if it was his own.

For his part Castiel stared at the spot on Dean’s neck, where he had kissed him.Where his mating mark was going to go.

Where half their bond remained unsealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Norns/Scrying Pool sees the truth inside individuals (as a whole, past/present/and future) and intentionally uses it to fuck with people's heads - showing them futures that may or may not happen, and may or may not change once a person has seen that particular future.
> 
> Anyways, they might angst about it a bit, but they happened to be acting out their shared dream, desire, and immediate future. Which in this case means they both wanted this to happen enough that it did.
> 
> Oh and Sam and Jess weren't being creepy voyeurs in the corner. We'll catch up with them next chapter.


	7. First Heat

Life was different after that night.They returned to camp, greeted by knowing looks and smiles when they caught sight of the mark on Castiel’s neck.The men clapped Dean on the back, and offered him ale to celebrate.

Ellen smacked Dean upside his head, even though she smiled broadly at the boy he was like a son to her.“You would deny me the chance to plan your wedding?Shame on you!”But for Castiel, she had a hug and kind words.“My door is always open if you need it.I wish you happiness and a house full of healthy children.”

Dean had not spoken much to him on the journey back, let alone about children.The bond between them had changed things.Cas often found himself pulled from his thoughts, to see Dean watching him, as if he knew and understood.And though Dean was still a man of few words, when Cas looked at his steel eyed expression now, he could see when he was pensive or at peace… if he dwelt on happy thoughts, or ones filled with revenge.

It was these that Castiel worried about.After their return from the witch, both brothers celebrated and reached for their lovers.But being so close, Cas could tell it was more a means to steady themselves as the storm built.

The brothers were preparing for war.

“Sam wants to marry Jess.” Dean said idly one night, as they lay tangled together after mating.

Cas was still trying to catch his breath, and his mind had not yet returned to his body.“She’d look lovely, I’m sure.In my land, she would wear a beautiful white gown and a veil of lace over her face so that only her husband may enjoy her beauty until the wedding night.”

“Why do you still say _your land_?You belong to me.Here.In this land.This is _your land_.”

Cas put a hand on Dean’s chest and curled closer into him.“You’re still afraid I’m not yours?”

“I do not bear your mark, do I?” His voice was soft, this close Cas could feel the fear in his words.

“I told you already.You were inside my body and I could not think properly.Besides, you did not seem to mind that we were not properly wed.Why does this trouble you?”

Dean rolled over so that his weight pinned Castiel beneath him.His fingers dug into the soft flesh of Cas’ arm.“Because I loved you the moment I saw you.I _waited_ because I did not want to feel nothing but fear and disgust in response to my touch.I have killed two men who dared hurt you, and I have brought down Azazel’s wrath on me and my family in order to spare you the horror of being his slave.I have given you my mark, and I feel your heart beat in my chest, and feel your happiness and pain as strongly as my own through our bond.And you give me _nothing_ in return!”

Cas knew Dean could feel his body shaking beneath him.He knew it was not right that he did not complete the bond, but he never knew it would feel like this.That it would feel like watching his mate’s heart beating outside his body, and not having the strength to take it into the safety of his own breast.

“Dean please… All I have is my body and it is yours. _I_ am _yours_.”Cas leaned up to kiss him.To try and reassure him with soft touches and attention.He ran his fingers over Dean’s neck and leaned up to kiss the skin that was wounded in how whole and unblemished it was.

When his teeth gently grazed Dean’s skin, he found himself pushed back to the ground, with Dean’s hand clamped around his neck.“Not like this.I do not want what is not freely given.”

Life was different now.Time was, he would have been afraid.Now he gently put his hand over Dean’s, even as it nearly kept air from his lungs.It was enough to bring his lover back to himself, and he rolled away to lay beside him once more.

“Dean…?”

“No.We will not speak more of this.I am a fool because I welcome the dagger in my heart, when it comes from your hand.But if we are both to survive, I cannot dwell on such things.”

Something deep clenched inside him, and Cas remembered the vision of Dean killing his brothers.“What did the witch show you?What is it we have to survive?”

“I saw how to defeat Azazel… and I saw that my people will not be enough for you.Your fate lies with your own people, which means you will leave me some day.”

“The witch did not tell you everything then.She showed me that I will return to my people, yes.But… I saw you on a great throne with a crown on your head.And you went out into my lands and one by one you… you slaughtered my brothers.”

Dean raised an eyebrow, but his eyes glinted.“That is a great omen for a warrior.The Princes of Eden are great warriors themselves, I hear, with armies more numerous than people in my lands.But does such news please or trouble you?”

“Both.I do not wish to see my brothers dead.Michael raised me when my own parents could not.And the others I love, even when they don’t deserve it.My youngest siblings are still children.I do not want to see them die.”He did not tell Dean that he sat on his Father’s throne, and in the vision Dean acted on his own command.

“Your vision gives me hope.”Dean smiled up at him and touched his face.“I knew you would be good for me.We will find my father.We will defeat Azazel.We will return to your lands and find even greater fortune and power.And the gods will smile upon us.”

The firelight flickered over the strong lines of Dean’s face, and Castiel knew all who stood in his way of the fate the warrior gods and God himself had for Dean Winchester… would burn before his ambition.

 

* * *

 

The scars on Dean’s back healed over, and by the time he returned to full strength the Hunters were ready.They made and gathered weapons; great swords with cruel edges, spears, and bows and arrows.The winter was going to be upon them soon, and so exiled from the village and sufficient supplies of food there was an added sense of desperation.

Castiel felt useless.He was raised in privilege and never had to worry about basic survival.Never had to worry about food and safety.

Dean’s entrance into his life changed all that, and now he found himself returning to Bobby and Ellen’s farm, eager to be distracted from the growing worry about his mate.The farm had been ransacked, but not destroyed.Azazel’s men moved through in a hurry, but without any trace of Dean or Castiel apparently lost interest quickly.

The Hunters needed experienced hands preparing their weapons, and Castiel fainted with exhaustion when he tried to work in the fields.It was humiliating.He wanted to be more than just a bedwarmer for one of their men.They left - Dean left without ever knowing otherwise.

Ellen put him to work preparing food, but it was too late.

“You alright, Sweetheart?”Ellen put down a basket of vegetables and came to his side.He laughed at the expression of concern on her face.

“Don’t look so worried.I followed your instructions.No one will die eating my food.”

“It’s not the food that worries me, Castiel, it’s you.You look pale.Some rest might do you good.”

Cas was not feeling well - hadn’t felt well in a few days - but he refused to lay about while everyone else worked.He wiped another bead of sweat from his forehead.“I’ll rest when they’re all back safe.Right now I want to help.”His hand shook and Ellen put her own over it to steady him.

“I know this is hard for you.I’ve done it myself more times than I can count.But it won’t be any help to us if you work yourself to death.Dean would never forgive me, for one.”

“I would have gone with him if I could.I wish I could fight at his side, but instead I’m completely useless.

Ellen pulled him into a hug to spare him having to explain his tears.“Alright, alright.Next time someone else can cut the onions.”

He laughed, grateful for the comfort and the kind words, but pulled away to compose himself as best he could.“I don’t understand why I feel like this.I know I’m worried, but this is too much…”

“If it’s not you who feels like this, you might be feeling it through your bond.“

“Dean…?”He breathed out the name, and when he touched the mark on his neck, he just about collapsed in pain.

“Cas?”Ellen crouched beside him, with worry etched on her face.“Oh, gods you’re burning up.Help!Somebody help!”

 

* * *

 

Castiel woke up in more pain than he had ever experienced in his life.Everything was on fire, and no matter how much he writhed, he could not find a position that would give him peace.

He could hear voices in the room, but they sounded like they came from far away.A warm compress pressed against his forehead, and he wished it could soak deep into his body to the source of the pain.

“W-what’s happening?”

“Shh…” Ellen’s voice was soft.She removed the compress and pressed a glass of water to his lips.“Drink.I can’t believe I missed this.Dean’s going to get a piece of my mind when he gets back.”

“Dean…!”Cas was surprised that the word came out as a _keen_ , repeating on a loop in his mind.The absence of Dean’s warmth was a sense of loss.Something to grieve for.

He was sobbing Dean’s name over and over.

“Get me whatever rags you can find, and blankets.Has the messenger left?”

A young girl appeared in the doorway with blankets.“Yes mistress.She left not a moment ago.Shouldn’t we find an Alpha?They’d know what to do.”

“No!No… we just have to take care of Cas ourselves until his own Alpha returns.Now give those to me, and boil some more water.This is going to be a long night.”

Ellen and the others worked constantly.Throughout the night, they washed the sweat and slick from his body, they pressed water to his lips, and they wrapped him up inlayers of blankets only to repeat the process again and again.

On the second day, instead of subsiding, the pain grew into a desperate longing.He was completely unaware of what was happening around him.People moved in and out of the room, and cared for the body that might have once been him.

All he knew was that he called out to Dean for help.He imagined him riding in from battle covered in blood, taking him in his arms and making the pain go away.They would fit together like puzzle pieces.The ache inside him would end when Dean pressed him into the bed and took him and filled him.

Instead, there was nothing but silence and darkness and emptiness.

 

* * *

 

Cas thought he heard Dean’s voice rushing towards him, until he was almost yelling directly in his ear.No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t will his eyes to open or his limbs to move.He whimpered.

His body shifted, and he became aware he was no longer lying directly on the bed, but was being cradled by someone.

“Ellen!Ellen, he’s waking up!”

“D-D…?”

“Shh… I’m here, Cas.I’m so sorry, I swear I-“

More water was being pushed to his lips, but this time he drank deeply and greedily.He felt like he was made of parchment so dry it was ready to blow away on the wind.The water was nice.The arms around him were nice.Sleep would be nice as well.

A sharp smack against his face pulled him away from any ideas about sleep.“None of that.Stay with us.”

Ellen’s voice was enough to help him focus and he opened his eyes.

A crowd of people were gathered just outside the door; the women who had tended to him, and the Hunters who left to battle Azazel.Even Benny and Charlie were among their numbers, and the sight of them looking relieved nearly convinced Cas he was dreaming again.

But Dean was there too.He was holding onto him for dear life, and even in the darkest moments of the past few hours - or days - Dean had not come to him.

“I don’t feel well…” he muttered, and the sound of laughter filled the room.

“I’m sure you don’t, Sweetheart.I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an Omega surviving their first heat alone, the way you did.You have more strength than anyone I’ve ever met.”She had pride in her eyes, and the remnants of fear.

They grew cold as they looked at Dean.She was angry with him.

“Please, not now Ellen.Cas and I need some time alone.”

Ellen had a lot to say, but held her tongue.She touched Cas’ arm and left, shutting the door behind her.

The moment they were alone, Dean’s hands started to shake.“I thought I lost you.I was supposed to protect you, and I let myself be distracted by vengeance.”

Cas realized the room was absolutely drenched in the sickening smell of desperate, stale arousal.It made his stomach turn, but there was nothing in it to throw up.“I don’t understand what happened.”

“Your first heat.I knew it was coming.I knew you smelled different but you always smell good to me.My pride got in the way.I couldn’t let the men go off without me, and I couldn’t let another season go by without Azazel meeting the end of my blade.So I ignored the signs, and hoped for the best.And we were in the middle of battle before I realized my mistake.”

“I tried to stay quiet at first.I knew you needed to concentrate, and I couldn’t bear the thought of being the reason you were killed in battle.”

“You were good for me.I know you were.”He stroked his fingers through Castiel’s hair and kissed his forehead.“But when you lost control, it hit me full force.I must have killed a dozen men after that.”

“And Azazel?”

“Got away.  Took Adam with him too.  We retook the village by then, and I was ready to track him.  Benny beat some sense into me.  He won't be able to hide forever, and I had more important things to take care of.  I rode straight back here, but it was too late.”

Cas had regained enough strength to sit up a little and rest his head against Dean’s shoulder.“Not too late.I’m alive.I’m getting stronger.”

The two of them laughed and Dean kissed him.“I know.You’re right, of course.But I wasn’t in time to help you through this-“Dean’s hand sunk between Cas’ legs and instead of feeling pleasure at the touch, Cas pulled back with a sharp hiss of pain.

“Ah-!”Dean pulled back sharply and lay Cas back down on the bed.“Ellen warned me.She said after all you’ve been through, you need time to heal.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?For what?”

“It was the one thing I was good for, and now I ruined that too.”

Dean looked at him a good long while and then kissed him.“Ellen was right.I’ve failed as your Alpha.I was supposed to make you feel safe, and instead I let you think you’re useless and nearly let you die.”

Cas curled into Dean, and pulled him in closer.They would make a fine pair if they continued on like this.The opposite of the men in the witch’s visions.

He cleared his throat.“Is the village safe again?”

“Yes.Benny, Charlie and the others were working to keep the villagers safe when we attacked.  Without  _Jarl_ Adam, I suppose the responsibility falls to me.As soon as you’re well enough to travel, we can return.Properly this time.”

Castiel smiled.“We can go home…”He didn’t need to look up at Dean to see the joy and relief those words brought to his mate "and you can train me to fight like a true warrior."


	8. The Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried writing this chapter from many angles, and realized that with Cas being completely untrained, he was missing out on a lot of the exciting battles and drama that Dean was always in the middle of.
> 
> And so...

The days began to grow shorter.The skies grew weary and grey.Winds from the north began their wailing with a vengeance, and there was much to do before winter arrived in earnest.

The villagers returned to their homes, and to going about the business of gathering and storing food.Life resumed, much as it was before the dark days of Azazel.Their resilience was a testament to their ancestors, and the land.

Dean took great pride in his people and his land.Without land, a man was nothing, and for far too long he and Sammy were landless and homeless, destined to live at the charity of others.

Now he was Jarl, in his father’s place, in his father’s house.He found an Omega who utterly entranced him, and who would one day bear him heirs.And when Sam and Jess came to ask his blessing on their marriage, he gave it gladly.

But the restless feeling remained.It was a warrior’s sense, one that held its battle stance, waiting for an imminent attack.One that could not accept Azazel’s disappearance as the end of their war.

The smell of incense registered in his consciousness before Cas’ voice came through.

“You were at the shrine again?” he asked.

Cas gave a huff of exasperation.“Yes, I said that already.Have you listened to a word I said?I was trying to ask when you will teach me to fight?”

Dean looked over the man in front of him.Cas was thin where he used to be slender, and even though he would not admit it to Dean, where he was once graceful, his movements now betrayed a worrisome weakness.

Fighting was out of the question, but training would either strengthen him or once and for all end the pleading.It was not a terrible idea.

“Perhaps I have time today.”

Cas’ entire face lit up and he threw his arms around Dean.“Thank you!Charlie told me to wear you down, but I worried you would never say yes.”

“Why am I not surprised this is Charlie's doing?"

 

* * *

 

For all his reservations, Dean was enjoying himself.What Cas lacked in natural ability, he made up for with grim determination.It was endearing and the most enjoyable, carefree afternoon Dean had spent in many years.

“Why must you look at me like that?”Cas threw the wooden training sword to the ground and put his hands on his hips.

“Because you are doing all of this…” he waved his hand in Cas’ general direction.

“My son has not yet seen ten winters, and he would never be so foolish as to-”

“That’s quite enough,” Dean interrupted.He could see the look on Cas’ face.

Benny nodded and kept his comment to himself.He could not, however, hide his amusement completely.The warrior had agreed to spar with Cas, and Dean was just glad the boy himself was not present to prove the assertion true.

It was unfathomable.Dean could not understand a land that would let their Omegas, a Prince no less, languish unprotected in some stone hall.As soon as Cas picked up the wooden training sword Dean knew his people abandoned their Prince long before he came to their land.They had left him to die.

Dean would see that wrong, righted.

“Pick up your shield.My turn.”

Benny stepped back at his Jarl’s command, and Dean took his place.When Cas went to pick up his sword again, Dean held out his own.

“I do not understand.I will hurt you…”

Both Benny and Dean looked at the sword dragging in the dirt, and the muscles trembling in Cas’ arms, and then at each other.

“I have faced far worse than you, little Omega.Now try to hit me.”Dean picked up a shield and wooden training sword for himself.No sooner did he ready himself, then Cas, who bristled at being called a _little Omega,_ swung his sword.It went wide.With his years of experience, Dean easily batted it away.

“Again.”

Cas swung the sword again.And again.And again.Each time gravity did most of the work, the attempt would fail, and Dean would call out a correction.His student was quickly growing tired and frustrated, but Dean couldn’t break Cas out of the simple, perfunctory movements he tried to mimic unsuccessfully.

“No, you have to put some more into it.Try to hit me like you _mean_ it.Draw power from your full body, not just your arm.Your life could depend on whether your sword slices clean through, or only enough to stall a warrior before he plants his axe in your pretty skull.”

“Do not.Call.Me.Pretty.”Cas’ voice came in pants, but his blue eyes were filled with lightning.This time the blow glanced off the shield.

Dean suddenly knew what would motivate him.

“Yet you are so very pretty.Those pretty eyes and delicate hands.That ass just made for grabbing with both hands and fucking into.You look tired.I knew it was too soon to let you up and about.You shouldn’t be fighting.A fragile Omega such as yourself should be resting, recovering.Waiting for his Alpha’s cock.”

The blow came quicker than he expected, and his grin in response earned him another scowl.

“If you wish to be a warrior, then claim it!Fight for it!You better _want_ it!If not, then you should return to warming my bed, like a good Omega!”

“How dare you-?!”

“I am your _Alpha_!”

The scream of rage that tore out of Cas startled Dean.He took a step back, which threw him off balance.It was only years of muscle memory that brought him back upright in time to block the blow.

The sword dug into the wood of the practice shield, and both warriors went deathly silent.

“Cas that was brilliant!”Dean’s face broke into a hesitant smile and he turned to congratulate his mate.

Instead of pride in his achievement, Cas had tears streaming down his face.His eyes reflected hurt and anger, and when Dean tried to reach out for him, he flinched away from his touch.

“Cas…”

“No!Now you listen to me.You arrogant, selfish barbarian brute!You kill my people.You take me as a slave.You mate me and leave me to… to…”Cas’ hands were trembling, and Benny only just managed to take the sword from him before he harmed himself or anyone else.

“Don’t come near me!”

“Easy now…” Benny murmured, as he would to a skittish horse.He had his palms outwards toward Cas, but was waiting for the Alpha to take control of the situation.

Dean could feel Cas’ hurt through their bond, and his anger as well.Unfortunately it was the anger he responded mostly strongly to, as it felt like a rejection.“I thought we were making progress.I thought you were coming to love me!”

“I have no choice!”Cas bared his neck.It was aggressively presented for such a submissive gesture.

A great stone settled in the pit of Dean’s stomach, and he heard the words as if another was saying them entirely.“Then leave.If all I have given you is such a terrible fate, LEAVE!”

Cas looked terrified, hesitant, and then let out a great angry sob.“FINE!”He threw the weapons to the ground and ran in the opposite direction.

“Dean, perhaps you should-“

“Do not presume to give your _Jarl_ orders!” Dean snapped, forgetting his friend only meant to help.“He’ll be back when he finishes his tantrum.  I meant no harm by what I said, but he certainly meant what he did.”

“You should not take what you have for granted.But, I will leave you if I am no longer needed.”Benny bowed, a little too stiffly, and left.

 

* * *

 

Sam and Dean walked shoulder to shoulder through the woods.Others in their party were within shouting distance, but the younger Winchester always knew when his brother needed support.

“Castiel is alive.We’ll find him.”

Dean’s eyebrow quirked in annoyance, but he tried to remain calm.“I know.There is no other option.”He spoke through clenched teeth.

Neither brother was convinced of the certainty they both spoke to.Dean had been too angry to follow Cas, and then too proud to crawl back to him even after he calmed down.By the time he began to search the village, and ask if anyone had seen him, it was too late.Cas had run away into the woods.  Dean spoke in anger, and Cas had obeyed.  He  _left_.

“If you need to talk-“

“No.Sam, stop.We are not going to have some tearful Omega bonding moment.The mission is all I need right now.”Without thinking about it, his pace quickened, but Sam’s longer legs just sped up to keep pace right beside him.“I just need to find him before-“

The end of his sentence hung heavy between them, the anchor that weighed heavy around Sam’s neck and threatened to drown Dean altogether. _Before_ whatever took their father - and stepmother, and Benny’s Omega wife, and Charlie’s Alpha female and countless others - took Cas, to never return again.Dean shivered as excess adrenaline coursed through his veins, with no enemy to direct itself at just yet.

He reached up to touch the unmarked spot on his neck.“Dammit, Cas…”

There was no limit to what he was willing to give in that moment to see his mate safe at his side again, but all the wealth of his lands could not buy his mate back to his side in that moment.

Darkness was more than a blanket over the woods.They were so thick, their torches barely lit a space an arm’s length in front of their eyes.The darkness smothered and permeated everywhere.It had a weight that felt ominous.Threatening.

“Do you hear anything?” asked Sam

Dean’s attention snapped to his brother, and his steps faltered.“No.What do you hear?”

“That’s just it.Nothing.I don’t hear anything.It’s as if the forest is completely devoid of life.Dead.”

“DON’T” Dean growled.“Do not say that.It is alive because Cas is alive.And we are going to save him.I can still sense his fear… or anger?I can smell him sometimes.At least… I think I can.He’s still alive!”

Sam winced, the offense unintentional.He would never say it directly, but they both knew without a bonding mark, Dean would never know for certain.Not if Cas was killed, and not if he was scared when it happened.From this distance, he couldn’t even if he tried.

That was not going to stop him from trying anyways.

Closing his eyes, Dean focused on the faint wisps of bond he could sense.They were as fast as memories or dreams than a sense of the impossibly desirable.But when he grounded himself and pictured Cas’ face, he could feel that same warm feeling wash over him as when he caught a glimpse of his mate.His footsteps remained steady, but changed direction.Sam followed, knowing Dean might pick up a scent, and prevent them from wandering hopelessly all night.

All of a sudden, Dean’s eyes flew open and he halted in his tracks so fast Sam slammed into his back and cursed.

“There.”

Dean pointed into the darkness where the endless black held out, as long as it could before admitting discovery.Then it shifted in one spot, and the darkness took human form and began to run.

Letting loose a terrifying war cry, both brothers raised their weapons and ran at full speed, heedless of where the figure was leading them.Sam’s strides were long and he covered great distance, but Dean could push power into his movements that came from reserves unseen.And he had rage driving him.He ran ahead of Sam with a single-minded focus so strong his body did not have time to process his movements or the path.

Shouts from nearby, off to the side and behind them, confirmed the others heard them give chase and joined the pursuit.They moved as one, warriors and brothers in arms.A pack forged in war and fire.

No matter how much he squinted or widened his eyes, Dean could not get a glimpse of the figure beyond a blur of darkness against the black.He was not expecting it to stop and turn to face them only long enough to use their shock to its advantage.

It disappeared again.Dean cursed loudly, and tried to gain his bearings.

“There’s more of them!” A voice from one of the others called in alarm.Dean could not identify who it was, but it was soon joined by others.

“AH!One of them stabbed me!”

“There’s one of the bastards!”

“WARRIORS TO ME!”

It was Dean who summoned what was left of their fragmented group to his side.There was no use in separating in this blackness and getting picked off one by one by whatever was out there.One by one they found their way to his side, and they stood back to back, facing outwards and holding their torches against the darkness.

Jess found her way to Sam’s side, and they embraced before taking their places in the formation.

“Tell me what you know, what you saw,” Dean demanded.

There was little to know or see.All spoke in hushed, confused tones.All except Benny.

Dean stared hard at his friend, who looked pale even with the help of orange flames from the torchlight.“Benny, what is it?”

“Nothing.This place is unnatural.It plays tricks on one’s mind.”

Sam tried a more gentle approach.“Please, Benny.We have little else to go on.It might help to learn of a trick or two.”

Benny swallowed and ran his hand across his face.He was sweating.“I… I thought I saw her.”

“Who?” Sam asked, looking confused.

But Dean knew there was only one _her_ for his friend.“It can’t be.It makes no sense.It has been a _year_ , Benny.”

“I don’t understand-“ Sam said, growing more and more confused.

“You must have been seeing things.The dark plays tricks on-“

“I _know_.I just _told you that_ when I _lied_ to you!”

“Dean.Who did he see?”This time Sam demanded, ready to leave the circle to face his brother.

The sudden clamour that arose around them, sent all thoughts of Benny’s riddle flying from their minds.There were voices, unearthly shrieks and terrible moaning cries.

And still they could see nothing in the darkness.

“That’s it, I have to know!”Benny broke ranks and ran into the darkness.The cacophony rose louder and louder, now sounding like Hel had opened her gates and let loose the suffering souls trapped in the lands of the ignominious undead.

“Benny NO!”Dean’s voice was drowned out, and it was too late.Several of the others took off, running towards their comrade, and there were too few of them left to form another circle so they ran too.

In the darkness, Dean lost sight of Sam.He lost sight of everyone.He wanders alone for too long, hours or days or years, he could not tell. _Hours_ , he told himself.Just as the terror of being alone with the angry spirits inhabiting the woods settled over him, something even worse happened.

The noise stopped.

It did not stop gradually, or in waves as if taking queues from others.All at once.As if it _knew_ something.

“SAM?!”

“DEAN!” Sam was alive, but fear gripped Dean’s heart at the sound.There was something not entirely right about it, and it made him raise his sword and walk with purpose instead of the desperation he felt to be at his brother’s side.

“SAM?!”But this time no response came from the darkness.Fear gripped his senses, and reverberated through his head in waves.He began to wonder if he heard Sam’s voice at all. 

Being lost in the woods was not a good sign, but it was the least of his worries.Nonetheless, Dean felt panic surge in his chest as he stumbled into a clearing within which no trees grew.The trees ended in a perfect circle around the edges, and everything about this place felt… _unnatural_.

There was a figure bent over in the middle of the clearing, crouched over something Dean could not see.It was Benny.It was unmistakably Benny, but he was _wrong_ somehow.

“Benny, what is it?”

His friend rose and turned towards him slowly.He was completely dazed, and covered in blood.Not just bloodied, for Dean had seen Benny through many bloody battles, he was drenched as if he had bathed in the stuff.It dripped from the corners of his mouth.His features were hidden beneath a mask of red, but his eyes were vacant.

“Benny, what-?”It was then Dean got close enough to catch sight of the mutilated corpse on the ground.“Odin preserve us!Andrea!It’s Andrea you great fool!What have you done?!You’ve killed her! You’ve killed your mate!”

The man remained unresponsive, standing.Standing was all that was left for him.

“HELP!I need HELP!”Dean called, hoping beyond hope that one of this men would be near enough, and alive enough to come to their aid.

It was Sam who emerged into the clearing first.Sam, sweet Sam, with his endless sympathy for others and level head.“It’s Benny, something’s happened.”

“Gods, is that Andrea?Did they-?Did he-?”Sam’s eyes were wide at the horrific scene before him.

Dean slapped Benny across the face, hard, hoping it would snap him out of his trance.

Sam grabbed his shoulder.“We don’t have time.There is great evil in this place.We have to keep moving.Grab his arms.We’ll drag him to safety if we need to.”

“Should we leave her like this?Her spirit will never rest.”

Sam looked at the grizzly corpse and shook his head.“If we stay to bury her, we will soon become corpses ourselves.We have to return to the village.”

“NO!”Dean recoiled in horror.“We cannot leave without Cas!”

“Dean, please.Be reasonable.You are a warrior and a Jarl.We need to return home.We are weak and wounded.”

“We don’t even know which way home _is_.”

“Then all the more reason to start looking for it now.”

The two brothers stared at each other.They both got their father’s stubbornness, and it settled in the set of their jaw when they were not going to back down from an argument.

“You don’t know what it is to lose your mate.You don’t know how this feels, how it’s wrenching at me that he’s not near and he’s not safe.My blood is boiling in my veins and I would risk a thousand angry forest spirits trying to rend our flesh from our bones, if it meant this painful longing stopped.”

Sam gave him a pitying look.“It won’t do Cas any good if you die out here.We have to get to safety, and we will return.I swear to the gods, we will not leave your mate to whatever fate has befallen him.”

Dean sighed wearily and nodded his agreement.He knew when to pick his battles, and when to go along with his brother’s mule-headed suggestions until such time he could do what he wanted anyways.

“Let’s get Benny home.”

They each took one of his arms, and draped it over their shoulders.The woods were deathly silent around them, but this time they dared not say it out loud in case it tempted it to wake again.As if it approved of their intentions to leave, instead of waging war within it, the forest let them pass unscathed.They walked for hours.

“Look.The sky is no longer black.I can see stars!” Sammy whispered, reverently.They could find their way home by stars.“The sun will wake soon.”

“There is no day for me.My sun and stars has been taken from me.”

“We will find him Dean-“

“Find him?You’ve lost track of Jess, and she was safe a few hours ago.”

“No, Dean.Jess took some of the others back home.I needed her to be safe, but I had to find your stupid ass.”

Dean smiled at that, but he was so very tired.

“She’s waiting for me at home.”

The sun rose slowly, but assuredly.It’s rays warmed their hearts, and chased the darkness from the night away.

Even Benny seemed somewhat roused by it.“Black eyes…” he murmured.

“Hm?What’s that?” asked Sam, leaning in to hear the words.

“Andrea.Black eyes…” Benny repeated.

Dean shook his head.“He’s delirious.She had green eyes.”

That seemed to upset him and Sam intervened.“Not now, Dean!”

“Fine!”Dean was happy to walk in silence.He was angry because he was slowly getting his bearings.They were, in fact, headed home and with resupplies within reach, Dean cursed his pragmatic younger brother.Part of him wanted to find Cas or die in the forest.

The villagers were awake and waiting for them when they arrived.Others had returned and spread the news of what happened.From what Dean saw of them, there were in as bad shape, if not worse.

Bobby rushed forward, and directed men to take Benny to the house of healing.  Ellen hugged them tearfully and brought out water to drink.  Dean had not realized just how parched he was until then.

Sam drank his fill and then looked around.“Where’s Jess?”

Many people exchanged glances, but no one answered.  Ellen looked at them, with the eyes of someone who understood their pain.  She shook her head.

“They said whatever it was attacked them, and she went to face it.I’m so sorry, Sam… She never made it home.  Jess is missing.”


	9. The Captives

Neither Dean or Sam found much rest that day.They left Ellen and the other villagers to nurse the wounded and tend to Benny, who screamed just as alarmingly when the madness took him as when he woke to remember his wife’s fate.As much as Benny’s distress tore at them, the trail for Cas and Jess was getting colder by the hour.Even now, they had little more than retracing their steps and reconsidering old wives tales and gossip.All they needed was the smallest hint of a clue, and they would be charging in to the rescue.

“There has to be _something_ that can help us!People have been going missing for years, and Father was obsessed.”Sam pulled open another trunk in Dean’s quarters and tore through its contents.

“Father was never the sort to… share information.I’d be surprised if we found anything or anyone who knew what he thought about monsters in the woods.”

Sam scoffed.“That does sound like the great Jarl, but we have to try.We can’t let what happened to Benny happen to us.”

It was left unspoken between them, but the possibility that whatever was in the woods could turn them on their loved ones was a terrifying one.The image of Andrea, torn apart, was seared into Dean’s memory.

“We won’t let that happen.”The note of finality in his voice was all there needed to be said on the matter.“Bobby said he had something that could help us.He’s never let us down before.”

“You can say that again!”Both brothers looked up as the older man entered the Jarl’s quarters.“Been saving your asses, your whole lives.”He was leading an uncooperative young woman by the elbow and shoved her forward towards Dean.“Talk.”

“I’ve seen you before,” said Sam.He stood and narrowed his eyes to get a better look at her.“You’re one of the priestesses from the village shrine.”

Dean’s eyebrows shot up.Their mother used to take them there as boys, when Sam was likely too young to remember, but they hadn’t been back since she died.Or so he thought.It was news to him that Sam returned there on his own.

“I am,” she shot back proudly, “and you will pay for treating me this way.”

“That depends.I am the Jarl here, and regardless of what god you serve, you serve me here and now.Tell us what you know.”Dean drew himself up to full height, and spoke with the commanding voice of a Captain and Jarl, but it was Sam who offered her a seat and asked nicely.

“Please.Our mates are in danger.We need to save them, and that’s all we want right now.I promise we won’t hurt you.”

Her eyes shifted, and she pulled a lock of blonde hair behind her ear nervously.“The gods speak to me.They tell me things of the past, present and future.”

“An oracle.And what have they told you that might help us?”Sam clutched at her arm.“Bobby brought you to us for a reason.Please!”

She gulped.“For some time now there has been another voice speaking.There is a new god that promises such wealth and power… and all he wants in return is followers.”

“The Edenite god?”Dean frowned.He was not a superstitious man, but he respected the power of the gods over the lives of mere mortals.

“No.A dark god.We have been trying to appease him, but he demands more and more.”

“More sacrifices?Human sacrifices?”Dean’s jaw clenched when she nodded.“How were you choosing them?”

“Volunteers, at first.There was something about his words, even heard through a messenger like me that convinced them.And once Azazel took command-“

Dean’s fist slammed onto the table next to him.“He _what_?!When I get my hands on that bastard…!And you, you follow Azazel?”

“I had to survive somehow.I saw what the future held, and Azazel’s god destroys everything we know and love.He took my sister priestesses.I don’t know what’s become of any of them.”

“The men caught her trying to escape when you lot returned last night raving about spirits in the woods,” said Bobby.

“We’ll take her with us.”

“What?!”Both Sam and the girl stared at Dean in alarm.

“Dean, we can’t… it’s too dangerous!”

“We’re not arguing about this.She knows more about this than she’s telling us, and we can’t afford to waste any more time.She’s coming with us.”

“Please…!” The girl looked at Sam, seemingly her only potential ally, but he was torn and just as desperate to rescue his loved one as Dean was.

“I’m sorry.We won’t let any harm come to you, but we don’t have much choice right now.”Sam gathered what packs and gear Dean couldn’t shoulder as he steered the girl out in front of them.

Having been ready to leave at a moment’s notice, they took their leave of Bobby and mounted their horses.

“You boys come back, you hear?Bad times are coming.Your people need you here.”

Dean nodded.The weight of Bobby’s words was significant.He was being reminded that he had more than just his mate to care for now, though Dean had to shove the thought from his mind as soon as he could.There was no use in entertaining such thoughts while Cas was still alive.

The girl’s expression was unreadable as she was lifted onto the back of Sam’s horse and forced to hold onto him for dear life.The brothers rode into the woods at full speed, following the same path that brought such tragedy to them the night before - daring spirits and gods alike to return for them.

 

* * *

 

“Cas…” a voice whispered softly.“Cas, please wake up.I need you to wake up.”Fingers gently combed through his hair, and pressure was put against the throbbing pain at the back of his head.

“Dean…?” he murmured.His eyes slowly opened and he saw a sweet face framed with golden curls.

“Don’t look quite so disappointed.”Jess laughed quietly, and helped Cas sit up.They were both chained in place, but there was little room to move into a comfortable position.

“Sorry.I can’t help it.I thought he was here, holding me.But it was just a dream, wasn’t it?”He touched the mating mark on his neck and had to choke back a sob.“I can’t feel him any more…”

“Cas, you have to stay with me.I know this is hard, but you and I have to figure this out for ourselves.”

With his head starting to clear, Castiel nodded and tried to focus.Touching the painful spot on his head brought back blood that had not yet dried.Whatever happened, it was not that long ago.

“What’s happening?I don’t remember how I got here.”

“Neither do I.We were looking for you in the woods, and then something attacked us.”

Castiel couldn’t help his eyes lighting up for a moment.“Dean?Dean is looking for me?”

Jess’ expression softened.“Of course, you fool.He started looking for you the moment you disappeared.He’s probably on his way here right now.”

‘Here’ was apparently a cave of some sort.Water dripped from the ceiling and the floor had a slippery, slime-like feel to the touch.There were shuffling sounds in the dark corners, probably captives, but the light was dim.It was hard enough to see Jess inches away from him.

“Do we know where here is?”

“We’re still near the coast, but farther up than our people usually venture.This is contested land, but I know Sam has hunted beyond our borders before.I hope…”

The noise of incoming footsteps interrupted them.A pair of men they didn’t recognize came down an adjoining passageway with torches, and peered around the cavern with distaste.

“Does it matter which one?”

“Not this time.”

Whimpers sounded from the darkness, until the torch was brought in front of Jess and Castiel.

“Who are you, and what do you want with us?”Castiel demanded, summoning the voice of the noble he no longer was.

“This one thinks it’s important… Can we kill him?It doesn’t have to happen _quickly_.We can have some _fun_ first…”An unpleasant face with equally unpleasant breath peered down at him.“Ugh, it _stinks_.”

“It’s a mated Omega.They all stink like that when you separate them from their Alpha.You have to make sure that bond is broken completely before they’re fit for anything.”

“Maybe tomorrow then.We don’t have time to coddle the pretty thing right now.But this one…?”The man turned his gaze to Jess, and she grabbed Cas’ hand in fear.

“Don’t you touch her!” Cas yelled, earning himself a slap hard enough to throw him to the ground.“Jess!”

“Cas!” she cried out.Jess fought hard against them, but they overpowered her, bound her and carried her away.His screamed protests echoed endlessly after them.

“You should save your voice.It won’t change anything.”

Castiel was surprised to see a very pale, very dirty looking girl crawl towards him.Unlike the others, she wasn’t chained, which was confusing.By looks, she was a few years younger than Castiel himself and painfully thin.

“I may not know what’s going on here, but Jess is my friend.I can’t just abandon her.”

“Friends… I had friends…”Her eyes glazed over as she tried to pull the memory from some depth.“But they must have abandoned me, if I’m still here.”

“I’m sorry.”Castiel wished he knew how to comfort her.He put his hand out, to try and place it on her shoulder, but was shocked when it was as if he tried to touch plain air.He tried once more to make certain before he made a fool of himself, and then he worried what it would mean if she knew.“What’s your name?”

“Jo.”

As the familiar name fell into place, Castiel suddenly understood.“Joanna Beth.Bobby and Ellen’s daughter?”

Her face lit up at the familiar names.“Yes!Yes!I couldn’t remember just then, but now that you say it, that’s my mother’s name.And my father.I’ve been waiting for them…”

“They’ve been waiting for you too.They never stopped searching for you.”

She smiled, so confident where she was despondent a moment before.“I knew they would.And the Jarl would come looking for me too.He’d send his strongest warriors, and his son Dean would lead them.He’s going to be a great man someday.I’m just a girl he never notices, but someday…”

Castiel couldn’t help but notice the girlish twinkle in her eye as she spoke of Dean, and he found it both endearing and painful to witness.“Dean will come too.I know he will.But, his brother Sam loves my friend Jess.The one they just took away-”

“Oh no!Sam is like a brother to me.I wouldn’t want to see him hurt anymore than Dean would!”

“Yes, exactly.Do you think you can help me?”

She jumped to her feet, eager to be of use immediately, but hesitated as it came down to _what_ exactly she should do.“We’re trapped here.They send guards to feed us, and they come once a day to select the ones that never return.”

“I might be able to deal with the guards, if you could help me get the key to these chains or break them somehow.”

Jo grinned at him.“Now _that_ , you’ve asked the right person.”

She bent down, and began to run her hands along the length of chain.Despite Castiel not being able to touch her, she seemed capable of interacting with some objects and found the joint where the chain was attached to the wall.Instead of trying to break the iron with strength, her nimble fingers worked at the bolt until it came loose in her hand.

“Jo, you’re brilliant!Thank you!”Castiel was so excited, he nearly hugged her.Instead he quickly pulled his arms back and got to work looping the chains around his legs.They jangled as he moved, but it was progress nonetheless.He stood, and had to reach out for the wall to steady himself.His head throbbed and, as he soon discovered, quick movements made him dizzy.

“You don’t look very well.Perhaps you should rest a moment longer?”

“I can’t.I don’t know what they’re doing to Jess, or if they’ll come back for me.The way they talked about what they wanted to do to me…” he shuddered, their threats being too close to memories he never wished to uncover again.“We can’t stay here any longer than we have to.”

Jo shuddered, reacting to the terror on Castiel’s face.“Of course.The passage is that way.Although, I could help you?Maybe then I could escape too?”

Cas didn’t have the heart to explain, so he agreed.He was glad to have the company, and having been raised by Hunters, Jo was probably more useful than he was to begin with.“I’m not sure how we can help, but you have my word we’ll do our best.”

The two of them made their way through the maze of passageways.Jo didn’t remember much, but she could recognize things as she was reminded of them, or would see them.

“This is the way,” she said confidently, walking down yet another dark and damp tunnel.They were deep in the earth, but Castiel would still get the occasional scent of salt air.

“Shh.Down there…”Jo pointed over a ledge, which peered down into an open cavern which was filled with people.

Castiel’s eyes grew wide.There were people of every age, gender, and presentation gathered below but they seemed to be either terrified or in a trance of some sort.Even Adam was present, now ordinary looking, stripped of his title as Jarl and tossed among the other followers.They stood in a circle around Azazel’s men, who themselves were standing guard over five prisoners, including Jess.

“What are they doing to them?” Castiel whispered, growing more and more alarmed.

Jo had no idea before, but watching what was taking place she had an answer.“He’s seeing if they’re worthy.This is a test.If they pass, they become one of them.If not…”

“What happens if not?”

Jo didn’t get a chance to answer.Azazel raised his hands and the crowd grew silent.

Castiel gasped at the sound of Azazel chanting in a language foreign to those lands.He went to the first prisoner, an elderly man who trembled violently.He handed him a glowing jewel-like orb in which a dark smoke swirled.

“Repeat after me.”The words were said slowly, so that the old man could haltingly say them in response.When he made a mistake, Azazel’s men beat him until the right answer came out.

“Did they make you say those words?”

Jo nodded.“The mean nothing… do they?Noises, not words.”

Castiel didn’t reply, but he knew that wasn’t true.He just didn’t know what to make of it.

Azazel went silent, seemingly waiting for something to happen.When it did not, one of this men handed him a knife and he slit the old man’s throat.A young girl ran forward with a cup and held it to the wound to gather the blood.

He moved on to the next prisoner, and the next.None of them were satisfactory, and none of them passed the test.Four bodies lay side by side on the floor, slowly draining of blood and growing cold.

Only Jess remained.

“No, no, no…” Castiel felt panic well up inside him, and he began to look around desperately, trying to find a way down.

“Don’t.You’ll die.”

“I can’t let this just happen!”His voice raised in volume, and Jo looked alarmed.

“Shh!Please!You promised me you’d help me too!You said you’d take me to Dean!”

At the sound of Dean’s name, Castiel’s heart clenched in his chest and he felt the overwhelming urge to do whatever it took to survive.“Dean…” he whimpered.

Jess was refusing to say the words and Azazel’s men were doing their best to make her change her mind with their fists and boots, and whatever would cause her pain without killing her.She was strong, both in body and mind.There was little doubt in Cas’ mind that she would win, all things being even.

If only the fates spun a story for them where all things were even.

Azazel’s men were growing frustrated, but Jess held out.Unlike the others, she was a warrior.Unfortunately, unlike with the others, the orb in Azazel’s hands did not remain dormant when it was offered to her.

It lit up at her touch, and the storm swirling within reminded Castiel of the lightning storms far out at sea.When the darkness in the orb built up to capacity, it began pouring out, floating into the air like a living thing.It grew larger and larger, until it was tall as a man.

And then, as Jess screamed in terror, the smoke jammed itself down her throat and she collapsed.

Castiel was terrified.He could feel the blood drain from his face, but somehow he didn’t hear the blood curdling scream that came from deep inside him until it was too late.Jo caught his attention and made him stop, but they could already hear the commands to find them, and bring them to Azazel.Every single person in the crowd dispersed to obey their leader.

Jo grabbed Castiel’s sleeve and ran without waiting to see if he followed.With no direction or thought, they barrelled from one tunnel to the next.Azazel’s armed warriors and followers seemed to pour from every opening and passageway, cutting off their escape at every turn.

“We’re not going to make it!”

“Cas, hurry…!”

When Azazel himself appeared at the end of the passageway, Castiel froze.“Jo… can you leave this place?”

“I-I’ve never tried.”

“You have to try now.Go now!Find Dean!Tell him… tell him…”He looked at her desperately, the fact that no one else saw her was his only hope.

Azazel’s men closed in on Castiel, beating him and tying him up again.This time they were even less gentle than before.

“I was going to save you for last.Take my time, and take my revenge on that damned Dean Winchester.Now, he will have to make do with your head on a stake.”

Castiel tried to stand proud, but his knees shook.“Jo, please!”

This time she choked back a sob, and faded into thin air.


	10. Fighting Shadows

Dean was not a patient man, nor did he enjoy the company of superstitious, fear-mongering liars.The priestess and Sam settled into an amicable conversation early into their journey.It was frustrating, but Dean held his tongue.He knew his younger brother, heartbroken by the loss of his mate, was just trying to ease information out of the girl.It was Sammy’s way to do so in a thoughtful way, where Dean was brash, and also to talk incessantly when he was anxious.

“Night is almost upon us…” he observed, pointedly.When his companions did not respond, he raised his voice.“We are no closer to finding Cas or Jess than if we ran through the woods blindfolded!”

This time, he got complete silence as a response.A small win.

The priestess refused to meet Dean’s eyes, which only served to unnerve him more.He sneered in her direction.

“She’s showing us what she knows.It was you who insisted she comes.She never claimed to know exactly where they were.”Sam’s voice was placating, and pleading.“If you have a better plan, then by all means…”

Dean grew angrier.“No.I do not have a better plan!” he snapped.“I just don’t trust her, and she’s slowing us down.We’ve nearly lost the light, and we needed to find what we were looking for, or at least shelter before nightfall.”

“Well what would you have us do?Abandon her to the spirits of the forest?The ones that drove Benny to madness, and nearly tore us and your warriors to shreds?Since you’ve been making such brilliant decisions lately.”Sam’s voice grew louder, and began to match Dean’s tone.His eyes flashed, and what lay unspoken between them was the worry each brother had, that Dean was ultimately to blame for both Cas and Jess’s fates.It was a fleeting thought on Sam’s part, but it gnawed at Dean constantly, and would until their mates were safe again.

It weighed heavily on Dean, who would gladly die before causing his brother pain, and yet the gall to question his judgement was too much.

“My decisions have kept you alive your entire life.So yes.If we need to, we will leave her to the forest.Surely, the great and benevolent gods, who wish to see the innocents of our village suffer unimaginable fates, will instead show their mercy for a faithful follower of-?”

The priestess did not immediately respond.She regarded Dean, weighing the wisdom of displeasing her captor and Jarl.Then her gaze hardened with anger.“I serve the Dark God.I have been given no choice in the matter, and you cannot fault me for trying to survive.You arrogant Alphas are all same.Only focused on your breeding obsession, without caring one bit for the rest of us.I am a beta, and a peasant woman.My family could not afford to feed me as an infant, so I was given to the temple.Unlike you, my Lords, I have not been taught to defend myself.I must do what I must.Leave me to the spirits of the forest if you must, but do not accuse me of causing harm to your mates.

You should not underestimate the power of the Dark God, nor do you know his plans.They are grand and will reach out to touch all free men.Do not forget, I see the future.He will come between you and everything you love if you challenge him.”

Sam’s jaw visibly tightened.He was a loyal follower of the gods, but it would take a near miracle to convince him to do something so extreme as to take sides.The priestess was treading on dangerous ground.

Dean moved his horse alongside Sam’s at great speed.He grabbed her by the neck.

‘Let me explain who you should really not underestimate.Who you should be afraid of right here, right now.Me.I don’t care if your Dark God spends all eternity torturing me.If Cas is harmed in any way, it will not save you from dying, slowly, at my hand.”

She choked, trying to pull air into her lungs, and grasped desperately at Sam.From where he say, he could not easily help her, but he reigned his horse to a stop.“Dean…”

When that did not stop the threats or loosen his brother’s grip, he punched him in the arm.“Dean!The sun!”

All three of them looked at the horizon, where the last rays of sun were being swallowed into the a foreboding darkness.Dean released the priestess without saying a word.

There was a good chance they would all die slowly that night.

 

* * *

 

A lifetime of training and fighting as a warriors did not prepare Dean or Sam for what they faced that night.The spirits were not wisps whose only purpose was to bring fear into the hearts of the living.They were the spirits of warriors, who wore armour and bore weapons that sliced through flesh.They were mothers who screamed for their children and fought as if it was their lives and not their own that depended on it.They could be wounded, but not defeated.Both brothers were badly wounded and quickly growing exhausted.

“We can’t keep this up much longer!” Sam yelled over his shoulder.He swung wide and took the head off a spirit, only to see it reappear out of reach.“Are you done?!”

The priestess knelt on the ground, making a hurried mixture in a drinking container.Dean looked over in time to see her spit twice and start to mix its contents with her fingers.“Proper magic takes time, don’t rush me!”

More and more spirits appeared.They were about to be overrun.

“Hurry!There’s too many of them!” Sam yelled.

Dean was not counting on the priestess to come through for them.He went into every battle eager to taste victory or meet a glorious end in battle.If today was his day to die, then no amount of spell craft would change that.

He was prepared for everything, except perhaps one thing.It was enough to make him hesitate, and the ghost he faced struck a deep gash across his chest.Dean managed to drive her back, but he lost his balance and collapsed.

“DEAN!”Sam had his hands full, but he made his way over to his brother.He helped him up.“Are you okay?”

Dean held his hand out and pointed.The blood was completely drained from his face.The spirit was circling around.Through the veil of death she looked different, but there she was, a young woman with pale hair that must have been blonde in life.She fought with passion and rage, but her eyes were vacant and whatever life once made her a person was no longer there.

Sam followed the gesture and his jaw dropped.“Gods… it can’t be.”

“Jo?” said Dean, his voice barely a whisper.He pulled a dagger from his belt and held it, palms out, hoping to stop her and try to reach through to her.

The spirit was poised to strike, but she caught sight of the dagger in Dean’s hand and the briefest light of recognition flickered in her eyes.“I have a message-“

“It’s finished!” the priestess yelled.She sparked a fire and the contents of the bowl burst into a flame, and then a light so blinding the boys had to cover their eyes and fall to the ground.

When they recovered, the three of them were alone.Every spirit had vanished into the darkness.

The priestess came over to them and knelt on the ground.She scooped up some of the burnt mixture, still red with what looked like blood from her own arm, and smeared it on Sam’s forehead and cheeks and down his chin.Dean protested, but his brother was unharmed and she had just been trying to save them.He could bear this one small humiliation.

She smeared his face, and then tipped his chin up.“You should have more faith, Dean.”

He brushed her off.“What did you do to them?Did you kill them?Or… send them somewhere?”

“I don’t know how to kill ghosts, but I did send them away, yes.The masks will hide you if they return again.Azazel taught us.The spirits of the forest were deeply unsettled by our presence and we had to taken measures.The ancestors of the Edentates used such magic.”

The brothers exchanged a look.“And how pray tell did Azazel obtain such knowledge?” Dean murmured, and cut her off before she could answer.“If you say the Dark God _told_ you, I will cut out your tongue myself!”

Sam smiled at the idle threat.Both brothers were relieved for the moment to catch their breath.He collapsed to the ground, sitting cross-legged with his sword draped over his knees.“I didn’t imagine that was Jo out there, did I?”

Dean shook his head.“No, I saw her too.And she was coming out of it, when we sent them all away.Can you bring her back?”

“What?!”The priestess shook her head.“After how close we came just now?I can’t risk that here!”

Dean reached into their supplies and pulled out a rag.He took her hand and wrapped the wound she made on her arm, in order to perform the spell.She stared at him in confusion and wonder.

“Before she left, she said she had a message.I just have a feeling.You have to help us bring her back.She can help us find Cas.”

“You know you can’t trust spirits, right?Not to mention this might not work and we might have to face every single one of the spirits I just sent away?”

“Absolutely.Can you do it?”Dean grinned.He had caught the thread of his bond with Cas and he wasn’t about to let go.

 

* * *

 

“I never knew we caught such a great prize in our nets.How lucky that the spirits of the forest did not tear your limbs apart before we had a chance to… play.”Azazel grinned down at Castiel.He was pacing in front of him, like a cat playing with his prey.

Castiel shuddered at those words, but he was determined to make things as difficult as possible for his captors.“I don’t know what you did to my friend, but I will see you pay for it.”

“Big words, for an Omega in your position.Let’s see if we can’t change your song a little.Jess?”

One of the cloaked figures stepped forward, holding the smoke filled orb.Castiel’s heart broke as their gazes met and her eyes were completely black.

“Jess… no…” he murmured.But if there was any trace of Jess left, it was buried deep inside the woman who moved and talked differently than his friend.She had the same predatory smile as Azazel, and ran her hand along his shoulder as she came to stand in front of her.

“Take the orb” she said, smiling.

“Never!” he bit back.

Azazel walked up behind Castiel and pressed a dagger to his throat.“Are you certain?”

Castiel’s mind filled with images of Dean.His smile, and the way his skin felt under his touch.He swallowed hard and closed his eyes.It couldn’t end like this.He needed more time.“I… Alright.”

Azazel didn’t move his knife, but Jess came forward and placed the orb in Castiel’s hands.A chill ran through his body, unlike anything he had ever felt before.The moment he made the mistake of looking into the orb, his eyes were mesmerized by the swirling smoke.

“That’s it…” Azazel whispered, his breath tickling the back of Castiel’s ear, “don’t resist.”

It was familiar and welcoming somehow.A sense of danger he couldn’t put his finger on, and safety he couldn’t pin down enough to protect him.Castiel felt his muscles relax, and was vaguely aware of the smoke in the ball rising up into the air.

He was lost in a vision… or a memory?It was hard to tell, but he was no longer in the caves by the shore, in a strange land, among a strange people.

 

* * *

 

_He was home.The sun beat down on him as he lay in the grass, and the voices of his brothers playing war games floated over and across him._

_Michael, the eldest, ordered his younger siblings about.He was tall and handsome.Nearly a man already.His dark hair remained carefully combed in place, even as they ran about in the summer heat.In order to fight, an enemy was needed, and in order to make things as fair as possible, it was Lucifer who always found himself pitted against his elder brother._

_This greatly displeased him, but in his own way, Lucifer was loyal and obedient.After all, he too revelled in the games.There were few their age who could beat Michael at strategizing, but Lucifer proved to be the type of leader who could think on his feet and constantly tip the scales in his favour by refusing to do the predictable._

_Eden was blessed to have not one, but two royal heirs with such skill and promise as Lords._

_As for the rest?_

_Raphael was shrewd and humourless.Castiel steered clear of him where he could, because his brother had a cruel streak that seemed almost entirely directed at the youngest brother he could get away with tormenting - Castiel himself._

_Gabriel was a free spirit.He was a mischievous and fun, always disrupting the carefully laid plans of his elder brothers, but in a way that avoided true retribution reigning down on his head.As an Alpha, he was also a more useful ally than little Castiel._

_“Where is he?” came Michael’s voice.He was angry that they had to stop their game to find Castiel, but it was Lucifer who found him first._

_His brother had a softer handsomeness than Michael.Feathery blond hair, and the same blue eyes that all of their family seemed to have.He caught Castiel before he could move and tickled him until he was laughing and gasping for air._

_“You’re on my team, right?”_

_“Yes!” Castiel laughed, agreeing without hesitation.“Always!”_

_“Promise me.”_

_“Yes, yes!I promise!”_

_“Swear your undying allegiance to me.Heart, mind and soul.”_

_Castiel was about to repeat the words, as part of the game when he froze.There was something different about Lucifer.Something cold and dark.Something not quite right._

_“Brother…?” he asked, suddenly scared._

 

* * *

 

“Lucifer?!”Castiel called out the name, returning to consciousness, utterly disoriented.

His brother, none of his brothers, were anywhere to be seen, but a giant cloud of black smoke hovered in front of his eyes.When he screamed it tried to jam itself down his throat.

It was Dean he wanted to save him, but it was Lucifer’s name that came to him in that moment.“Lucifer please help!”

The smoke reacted to the name, and all at once pulled back and left him coughing painfully on the floor.Azazel let out a yelp of panic, as the cloud of smoke began to circle the cavern, looking for a different host.

“KILL HIM!KILL HIM!” Azazel shrieked.He was white as parchment, and quivering as the black smoke swirled above him.

It was Jess who obeyed the order.

“Please, Jess!Don’t do this!I’m your friend.We’re Omegas.We have to stick together!”

Nothing he said would stop her advance, and she soon had him pinned beneath her on the cold stone floor with her blade pressed against his neck.

“It won’t end here…!” Castiel shouted.The words terrified Azazel even more. “Think of Sam!Think of the man you love!Think of Sam Winchester!”

The words cam out as a sob, because he was thinking of Dean.He was thinking of how much he loved him and recognized the great loss that they were never going to be fully mated.The sensation was so strong, it was almost as if Dean was in the room next to him.

But that was not meant to be.Dean was far, far away.And he would die tonight without telling him he loved him.

The noise of shouts and fighting reached his ears.  Torchlight appeared along one of the tunnels, and a small group of bloodied, dirty warriors appeared.  Azazel was just about losing his mind.  “KILL THEM!!  KILL THEM!!”

Cas couldn’t find the words, as he looked up from the spot on the floor that was supposed to be his end, and saw a ghost with pale blonde hair.  "Jo?!"  Had she succeeded in finding help?

And then he caught sight of those perfect eyes, so green, that his joy caught in his throat.

“DEAN!”


	11. Black Eyes

Blood sprayed across Dean’s face as he worked.The black eyed bastards came from everywhere.They had an uncanny strength and sense of where their prey was located, no matter how creatively Dean tried to lose them.They threw themselves into battle with a recklessness the young Jarl might have admired in a mortal warrior, friend or foe.

Except he was no longer certain the black eyed beings _were_ truly mortal.

Not everyone they came across was one of them, which only made the comparison stronger.There were people in cages, and others chained to walls.There were yet more who cowered in the tunnel’s dark shadows or ran screaming as the small group passed with their torches and bloody swords.What they all had in common was a vacant look in their eyes, a slow woken terror as they realized the danger they were in.

Dean lopped the head off one of the black eyed ones, sending a swirl of black smoke pouring from the body and into the air.“What is that?!”It happened whenever one of them was killed.

“DEAN!” Sam yelled in alarm.He was watching the smoke as it moved across the room and dissipated.But then suddenly, it reformed and shoved itself down the throat of a young mother, holding her boy’s hand and trying to get to safety.She turned on Sam, eyes black as pitch and ready to kill.

Sam hesitated, unwilling to kill the woman in front of her wide-eyed child, but when she ran at him, it was the priestess who stepped in with a scavenged dagger to the throat.

“It had to be done,” she said, before Sam could protest.Her tone was emotionless.She turned to the child.

“You can’t!” Sam cried out, but the words stuck in his throat as the smoke left the mother’s body and entered the child.

“Run!” said the priestess, pushing Sam in the opposite direction.Unwilling to kill the child, Sam did not question her order.

Dean had questions and concerns - oh so many concerns - but there would be time enough for that later.

“Jo?!” he called.

Having disappeared during the fight, she now showed up still holding the dagger Dean had returned to her.“I mean to help.Truly.I just cannot control this form.It comes and goes as it pleases.”

“Shh.Don’t fret.I didn’t call you here to blame you.You are doing warrior’s work just as you are, but now we need to know the way before they find us again.”

She considered the two tunnels that forked from their location and then unsteadily pointed at one.“There are many of them this way.Too many for you to take, but I fear that means you will find what you’re looking for there.”

Jo led the way.Every so often she would look confused and flicker out of existence, before returning and reorienting herself.

“Her hold on this world is weak.The only thing keeping her here with us is whatever unfinished business she has.”

Dean muttered profanities under his breath.“I’vehad more than enough of spirits and black eyed creatures.”

“You shouldn’t have killed her…” Sam said, addressing the priestess.The woman’s death weighed heavily on him still.“I don’t know what’s happened, but I saw that woman moments before, and she was just as scared as the others!”

The priestess sent him an unreadable look.

“You think it’s an act?” asked Dean.

“No… I think it means those black eyed creatures are _people_.”

The implication sent shivers down their spines, but there was nothing to be done.If the next black eyed creature was someone they _recognized_ , gods forbid, they would be left with no choice.

Dean didn’t reply.Sam was too young to remember, but he still had nightmares of the night their mother disappeared.It was a child’s memory, and hazy, but he always remembered their mother disappearing in a cloud of black smoke, even though there was no fire that night.Now he had doubts that it was merely a flight of fancy.“Whether they are humans or not, we have to defend ourselves.We’re the only hope for Cas and Jess.”

Sam didn’t look convinced, but he agreed.He wasn’t as practical as Dean, whose Alpha blood and brain made such decisions simple and beyond his control.Protect one’s family.

Protect one’s Omega.

Dean growled suddenly, a deep alarming tone that sent the priestess scrambling behind Sam in fear of what could have brought that on.

“He’s in there.” Dean said, emotionless, but his gaze was not fixed on the strangely lit tunnel.Instead, it rested on the lines of soldiers in battle formation, shields up and eyes black.“Sam?”

“Here.”Sam was at his side, as always, sword drawn.They were wildly outnumbered and should have been scared.Instead, it was the warriors facing them, bearing Azazel’s mark on their shields, who trembled -

They could smell the Alpha pheromones pouring off Dean in waves, and knew they stood between on and its mate.Which meant only one thing was about to happen.

Dean let out a terrifying, inhuman roar, and charged them.His hormones heightened his strength and speed, and even when they managed to wound him, they dulled his sense of pain to near unnoticeable.

Three men fell in his first attack, trampled or sliced through.Dean pushed the first row of soldiers back and out of formation, in order to make his way to the centre.He mowed down every soldier that was within reach, and stepped over their bodies as he moved to do the same to their kinsmen.The floor grew slick with blood, and more than one man fell to his knees to beg for mercy, only to lose his head to Dean’s sword.Sounds of screams and pleas rang through the air.

Sam and the priestess stood rooted to their places, away from the carnage.She had her hand on his shoulder to keep him from running in, though every muscle in his body was tensed to do so.“He is an Alpha right now, not your brother.He only sees enemies and his Omega.Get between them, and he will kill you the same as any of them.”

Dean was close and he knew it.He could smell Cas, and feel his terror through their bond.When he heard Cas’ plaintive cry, it only pushed him further over the edge.

“Dean!”There he was.

But so was that bastard, Azazel.“Take one more step and he dies!”Azazel the coward.Azazel the maggot.He was holding a knife to the trembling Omega’s throat.

Any other time Dean would have taken the threat more seriously, minimized the risk and negotiated.As it stood, he stalked forward with purpose, unhindered by it.

“I will kill him!I swear I will end him right now if you do not-“ Azazel’s voice and hands trembled.Dean was advancing on him, cutting through the remaining men that ran at him, as if they were soft as butter.

Even the Omega within Cas woke at the suffocating scent of Alpha Rage.To Azazel’s dismay, he found himself distracted by the sensation of a wet patch growing on his leg, where his knee was pressed up between his prisoner’s legs to steady him.

It was enough for Cas to jab his elbow backwards into Azazel’s side, causing him to loosen his grip somewhat.

Cas broke free and ran as fast as he could.

“Don’t move!” yelled Sam, as Azazel lunged after Cas.He had his bow drawn, and an arrow notched for Azazel’s heart.Sam looked about the room at the carnage and was terrified at his brother’s handiwork.

Dean pulled Cas into his arms, possessively.Their mouths met in a passionate, bruising kiss.Their hands roamed freely over each other’s bodies, holding, reassuring, and reclaiming.

The adrenaline pumping through his veins began to calm with his Omega in his arms once more, and Dean’s aggressive Alpha scent began to mix with the sickly sweet smell of Cas leaking profusely with slick and arousal.

Sam put his hand on Dean’s shoulder, trying to speak with him and nearly lost it as Dean swung around in a rage.

The priestess pulled him away.“Not now!Let us take Azazel and make him tell of Jess’ fate.Your brother can’t stop himself right now. He’ll kill you if you try.”

“Stop himself from what?Oh. OH!”Same grabbed Azazel’s arm and steered him to the other side of the room to pretend he couldn’t see what was about to happen.

Dean was already pulling Cas’ dirt-stained tunic over his head.His own was soaked through with blood, but neither he nor Cas could see anything beyond the naked flesh of their mate.

Pinned beneath Dean’s hard, muscled body, Cas spread his legs wide and pulled his knees up high, presenting himself for his Alpha.“Fuck me…” he begged, hoarsely.He was exposed, and yet unashamed.That part of his brain would switch on again later.“I need you insi- OH!”

There was no foreplay this time.No slow, gentle touches and easing into it.Cas was dripping wet and desperate, and Dean had not regained enough of his senses to do more than hitch Cas’ hips into position and plunge deep inside his body.

Their lovemaking was rough and, unfortunately for the rest of their party, loud and unrestrained.Bruises covered existing bruises as their fingers dug into each others’ arms and hips.It was an easy price for never letting go again.

Cas’ face was buried against Dean’s neck breathed raggedly.His mind was overwhelmed with pleasure and pain… and relief.Sheer unadulterated relief.All alone in this terrible place, he was so certain his foolish decision to run away would cost him everything.But Dean came for him.He found him.He would always come for him.

The intense love he felt for Dean in that moment poured through their bond, and he knew that not a moment could go by without completing it.He kissed the skin of Dean’s neck and then bit down hard.

All the fear and regret of the past days disappeared, for both of them.Mere shadows of a dream.There was only their love, their bond.No longer would anything be held back between them.Without explanation, Cas could feel the pain where Dean’s side had been split by a dagger.He could feel the tightness of the skin at his back, where the scars of Azazel’s whipping stretched.

They could sense each other’s pleasure, and though always enjoyable, now Dean’s pounding rhythm synced perfectly to make Cas gasp with every thrust, and Cas knew the exact moment to tighten his muscles to make Dean almost collapse on top of him.

Next time, they would go slow and revel in the new powers of their bond during sex.This time, their bodies needed to reclaim and release.

For Dean that meant fucking Cas into a state of ecstasy, and at the sight of him moaning loudly in pleasure and coming completely undone - his beautiful body shaking with pleasure as he came across his own belly - he did just that.He filled his Omega with love and more literally, his seed, as he too came undone.

Off to the side, Sam was in a tense and terrible mood.Such displays between an Alpha and Omega were not unheard of, but this was his _brother_ , and right at that moment he desperately needed his help to find Jess.Every sound from them was grating on his nerves.

Not for the first time, he agreed with his Father’s old sentiment and wished that he too was born an Alpha.At least then his biology would be working that hard to reunite them.

Azazel was cursing and expressing his disgust in explicitly profanities, talking to himself about failing the Dark God.“… and you!”He turned to the priestess.“Ruby, how could _you_ of all people do this?He _chose_ you!”

Same’ knife pressed deeper into Azazel’s neck, this time drawing blood.“What does that mean?And how does it help me find Jess?Let me remind you that is the entire purpose of your life right now.If you do not know, you do not live.Was Jess _chosen_?”

Azazel licked his lips nervously, and locked eyes with Sam. “Perhaps.Yes.The Dark God’s power works in many ways.Some it rejects.Others it enslaves.And still others it chooses for far greater things.”His eyes shone, and then as Sam watched, they flicked black and back to normal.

“You can control it?The others, it consumed them, but you… you can just pass as a human?”A thought occurred to him, and he turned a dangerous look on the priestess.On Ruby.“Show me.He said that _you_ were _chosen_.Show me what you’ve been hiding from me.”

The priestess sighed in frustration, but complied.Her eyes flicked black and then back to show their usual brown.

“What does that mean?” Sam demanded.“Who are you?!”He did not trust Azazel enough to remove the knife, but his posture changed and she knew better than to push her luck.

“My name is Ruby.What I told you of my story was true… only I was taken from here as a child _to_ the Edenlands.They sent me to one of their temples… a church they call it.I was raised to be a priestess of the Edenite God.The Dark God comes from the Edenite God.He _chose_ me.I never had a choice in that, but I did take my chance when I could to return here and help people like me.That’s why I’m here.That’s why I’m helping you right now.”

Sam hesitated.He didn’t know what to believe, and could trust the priestess - Ruby - any longer.But… she had not yet steered them wrong, despite the lies.“If he’s harmed Jess in any way.If she’s not like you, but like the others…”He took a deep breath.“Whatever has happened to her… you can save her?Bring her back?”

“Yes!Well… I need time to perfect it, but I’m so close!It’s why I need your help, but we are closer to a cure than ever.It would be foolish not to try… you see what must be done if there is no hope.You’d have to kill her.”

Sam shoulders slumped with relief.He wanted some reassurance, and if this was all he could have, he would take it.

Azazel’s posture shifted slightly, catching Sam’s eye.He had been staring over at the couple, watching their lovemaking Sam presumed, but now he sensed something else was happening.He had Sam’s full attention now.

Sam heard the sound of a rock skittering across the cavern floor, accidentally kicked by a boot as it passed.He turned to see where it came from, and though he cried out, the world began to end in slow motion.

Jess must have been hiding among the scattered bodies, because she entered without notice and was nearly upon the defenceless couple lying together sweetly in post coital bliss.Sam’s cry alerted Dean, but it was wordless and his brother only heard the warning in it.

Dean’s sword was discarded with his clothes, but still within arm’s reach.He lunged for it, but Jess was about to strike a blow, plunging a dagger downwards into his neck and shoulder.Near where his fresh mating mark still bled.

Without reacting to the wound, Dean kept himself in front of Cas and whirled around.In one smooth movement he plunged his sword to the hilt into the attacker’s chest.

As Jess staggered back a few steps, Dean stared at her with horror.Slow realization broke through the adrenaline summoned to fight yet another threat to his Omega, and he recognized her.

“Jess…?”

Sam’s scream of agony echoed through the chamber.He was already running towards them, but even though his long legs and hunter’s speed sent him near flying, he could not get there in time.

Jess looked to the ceiling and let out a cry of pain, and that evil black smoke poured out of her with the sound.Sam reach in time to keep her from collapsing to the ground.

He pressed a hand to where Dean’s sword still protruded from her belly.

“Noooo!Jess, please!You’re fine.Ruby will save you.She said she could save you.You’re going to be fine!”

Jess reached a bloody hand up to touch Sam’s face.“We shall meet again in Valhalla.I have died a warrior’s death, and that thing inside me is no longer torturing me and making me do the same to innocent people.Now I am free.I go to a better place.  We will meet again, my Sam...”

“Stay…” Sam begged, sobbing.

Jess coughed up blood, and her breath grew thready and weak.Sam leaned down and kissed her, ignoring all of that.

In the terrible silence, filled only with the sounds of death and grief, Cas clothed himself and helped Dean do the same as the man was in shock and unable to do so himself.It was unseemly to face this moment, which would no doubt change everything, without dignity.

Sam did not break the kiss for a long time.When he finally did, it was to cradle the body and weep because it no longer held his Jess.

“You took her from me…” he murmured, rocking back and forth.“You took her from me!”

He didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular, but Dean’s face drained of colour.


	12. Endings and Beginnings

Sam lay Jess to rest, on a quiet cliff overlooking the sea.He buried with her sword and saddle so that she wouldn’t be defenceless in the next life.He also buried the things that reminded him of their hopes and dreams for a life and family together, hoping they would bring her comfort, where they only brought him pain.He no longer had any use for such things.

“Will she be at peace?” he asked, staring out at the sea.

Ruby stood at his side, the lone witness to his mourning.“Yes, for now.But the only way to be certain is to make sure there’s no body for something to control.”

“No!Not yet.You promised me answers.You said the Dark God could save her…”

“Sam, it’s not that simple.”

“Were you lying to me?Because if you were, then I have no use for you anymore.”He turned on her and glared.“I don’t have use for anyone who can’t help me either save Jess or get revenge on those who hurt her.”

Ruby was scared of the anger in his voice, and took a step away from him.“Does that include… your brother?”

“I… I don’t know.I can’t think about that right now.I want to find out what that black smoke is, and where it comes from.If you can help me with that, you can stay.If not-“

“Yes!Yes, I can help.I want to help you Sam.You need someone to trust right now, and you don’t have anyone left.Don’t shut me out.Trust me.”

 

* * *

 

It was a dark time for both the Winchesters, and for the entire village.Though Cas’ return brought them hope, Jess’ death brought them the truth of what they had to fear for their missing loved ones.

“You’re leaving again… so soon?” Cas wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist and pressed his face into his mate’s back.He breathed in his scent and took comfort in it.“It’s been weeks…”

“There are more bodies to put to rest.More survivors scattered in the forest.That bastard Azazel escaped, _again_.Time is not on our side, and I never want to say I didn’t do all I could for my people.”

“I know…” Cas said softly.He turned Dean to face him.No matter how many times he saw it, the defeat in the once proud warrior’s eyes always broke his heart.“Dean, you are a good man and a good leader.I know you have to do this, but I cannot let you leave without being certain you know that what happened to Jess was not-“

Dean removed Cas’ hands from around him, but didn’t push him away.“Please don’t say that.I don’t want to hear it.We all saw her die by my hand.I’ve spent my whole life trying to protect my brother, and his happiness died by _my_ hand.This is my fault.”

Cas put his finger on Dean’s lips and shook his head.“Please, don’t.For me?I can’t hear it.The whole time I was torn from your side, all I could think about was all the things I wanted to do differently.”

“Oh…?”Dean leaned his forehead against Cas’.He could feel the genuine concern pouring through their bond.After fighting for, and nearly losing their bond, he would take every scrap of connection he was lucky enough to receive.“You know the thing I feel worst about?I would do it all again, the exact same way, if it meant it led to you here, safe in my arms.I accept that this is my fault - that this is the price I have to pay to save you.”

“I would not see you destroy yourself, and I can see this is destroying you.I need you here with me.Safe.”

“I know-“

“No, you don’t understand.I was naive last time, and couldn’t see the signs.This time… Dean, all my senses feel like they’re on fire.Everything is heightened, and every sense is focused on one thing.You.”

Dean growled low and closed the space between them.“Your heat is coming on?”

Cas blushed furiously and nodded.“I was hoping that this time, we could… We could be prepared.Do this right?”

The memory of how much Cas suffered through his first heat was not something either of them would forget soon.Dean held him close.“Of course.Bobby and the others will understand.I won’t risk leaving you so close to another heat.”

Cas found himself manhandled into a kiss, and he welcomed it.His Alpha was going to take care of him.He was going to claim him during a heat, and they would get through all of this together.

For the first time in his whole life, he could picture his life with an Alpha.He remembered what it was like to feel that immense, aching emptiness inside him, and imagined what it would be like for his Alpha to fill that need.Dean would mate him, and he would put a pup in his belly, and they would be a family.

“Tears?” Dean asked, quietly.He looked worried as he tried to ease Cas’ pain.

“Happy tears!” Cas reassured him.“I was thinking about the life we’ll have.I always knew I was an Omega, but I never knew what that meant.Not like this.We fit together so perfectly, and you… you complete me.You make me happy, Dean.And I know you’ll always protect us.”

“Us?”Dean smiled, now following Cas’ thought process.

“Yes,” Cas said, blushing.“Me and the… pups.”

Dean kissed him and laughed.He didn’t think he would laugh again after the night in the caverns, but he hadn’t counted on his Omega getting so far ahead of himself that they somehow already had pups.“How many exactly…?”

Cas laughed back and punched him playfully in his shoulder.“Stop teasing me.We’re fully mated now.”He touched the mark on Dean’s neck.“You know what my body is driving me to do.I’ve never felt this way before, and I don’t want to feel ashamed.”

Dean kissed him and shook his head.This was going to happen.It was beyond their control.There was so much for Dean to worry about, things about the world he was terrified for his Omega and pups to face.And yet his heart was still filled with joy.

“Let me talk to the others, and make preparations.We’ll talk properly about our future together, when I return.”He kissed Cas and took his leave.

 

* * *

 

Bobby had a parchment spread out in the banquet hall, where a crudely drawn map of the countryside was spread out on the table.The hall was full of warriors standing in small groups and looking over Bobby’s shoulder as they discussed what areas had been covered, and what still needed to be checked.

“We’ve searched every inch of those caverns.No signs of Azazel or any of his people.All we’re doing is pulling out bodies.”Charlie had gone out with almost every search party, determined to find her Alpha.“What we did find was an underground lake with docks, and no sign of boats.  We were lucky Jo led us to it.  It looks like they might have escaped by sea…”  Jo was thrilled to be helping the search efforts, and with each passing day, she managed to appear closer and closer to the village itself.  It would still be some time before she could reach the great hall to warn her father.

“Then we go after them by sea.” said Sam.He was sitting at the edge of the group drinking a mug of ale.

A few of the warriors exchanged glances.They had all been careful to give him a wide berth after he initially rebuffed their offers of comfort, but his presence was becoming unsettling.

A collective sigh of relief went up as Dean entered.

“That is a decision for the Jarl to make,” said Bobby.“Dean, what say you?”

Dean tried not to glance at Sam as he passed, instead focusing his attention on the map.“There’s no use weakening our forces since we do not know if or where they have gone by sea.We need to focus on reuniting what families we are able to.”

“Coward!”Sam stood, rushing towards Dean.The other warriors managed to get in his way and restrain him.“You were the one who let him go in the first place.This is going to happen again, and again, unless we stop it!I know Azazel has taken to sea.He’s trying to return to Eden!We can’t let him get away with this.”

“Don’t you dare call me a coward!”Against his better judgement, Dean found himself rising to Sam’s insults.“I am trying to do what’s best for our people, to protect them!And right now that means staying here, giving them the hope of closure, and keeping our warriors here, in case Azazel and his men return!”

“You’re going soft.You know what needs to be done, but you’re afraid to take the risks a Jarl should. The battle is out there, and you’re hiding!”

Dean’s face burned hot, recalling he came to tell them he couldn’t go on any missions, near or far, because of Cas’ heat.“I have a duty to Cas, and to my people.”

“And if you had to choose, you’d choose your Omega over us every time!”

“His name is Cas!”Dean lunged at Sam as they came to blows.The warriors backed away to give them some space.The two brothers let their anger and grief pour out through their fists, and they were both quickly bloodied and bruised.

“Enough!”Bobby pulled the two brother’s apart, the only man who could have stopped them from killing each other in that moment.“The Jarl has a duty to his people and his Omega, we are going to trust his judgement.Dean?”

Dean wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.He was grateful for Bobby’s, but he still needed time to think.This was not an ordinary decision.This was a true Jarl’s decision.Mounting an expedition to cross the sea would be more than just a raid.It would require men, and arms.What they really needed was an army.

“We are unprepared to mount such an attack.Even if what Sam says is true, Azazel will be running towards the Edenite armies and we do not have the men to face them.And with winter coming, our best bet is to continue on as we have, looking for survivors and bodies, and if we’re lucky we will find Azazel right here.We also send messengers to our allies and see if we can mount a proper attack come spring.”

The other warriors murmured in agreement.Dean let out a sigh of relief as the tension went out of the room.There was no shame in this plan.They would bury and mourn their dead, regain their strength, and when the time was right, they would take their share of blood.

“All in favour?” said Bobby.

“Aye!” came the chorus of voices.

Sam’s gaze was steady, and dangerous as he broke free of the group and headed towards the door.“You’re all fools.By the time you consider everything perfect, they will be ready for you.And Dean will see all your family’s know loss far greater than you can imagine.”

“Sam…” said Bobby, seeing the boy he raised on the verge of tears.

“If none of you will join me, then I will go myself!”

“Don’t be foolish, you won’t survive such a voyage!”Dean was growing alarmed.He was angry with his brother, but the crossing was dangerous with a fully trained crew.

“I would rather DIE than stay here and do nothing to avenge Jess’ death.You should let me go, Dean.The only one here I need to take vengeance on, is you.”

Bobby started to intervene again, but Sam gestured that he was not looking for a fight.He walked out the doors of the hall without another look back at Dean.

“Stop.”Bobby grabbed Dean’s arm as he made to follow.“You may be Jarl, but Sam is a grown man who must choose his own path.He will do what he must.”

Dean’s heart broke as he watched his brother walk away.He didn’t yet know if he was making the second biggest mistake of his life.

 

* * *

 

As the day wore on, the signs of Cas’ coming heat grew stronger and harder to ignore.He tried to occupy himself by settling the room, making it comfortable for the duration.

The bed was low to the ground, and sparse.Dean’s preference, not Cas’.He felt a pang of nostalgia as he remembered his soft feather bed.The entire room reminded him of Eden, in that nothing here felt at all like home.

Most days, he tried not to think of Eden.There was little point to it, now that his Alpha and family were here.Dean was his home now, and he would have to make this place home too.

There were extra furs rolled up and tucked away in the corner, and he arranged them on the bed to make it softer.His body temperature was rising, and after his tunic grew damp, he shed his clothes and lay naked among the soft furs.The sensation against his skin was exciting in his state, as was the anticipation of Dean returning and finding him already wet and needy.

Lying back on the bed, he ran his hand over his belly and down between his legs.There was already slick, though not the embarrassing, dripping amount that he needed to ready himself for.The idea of those lovely furs covered in slick suddenly seemed less appealing, and Cas got up again and stripped the bed.

That was the state Dean found him in when he returned.He carried armfuls of food and several skins of water, all of which he dropped as he saw the overworked and overheated naked Omega sitting on the floor and moaning softly as he pushed his fingers inside himself.

“Cas?” he said, moving towards him.The scent was overwhelming, and he could already feel his brain losing control to the hormones.

“Dean…!” Cas moaned.“I need you…”He was feverish, and barely in control of his body, but the scent of his Alpha brought him back enough to reach out with his free hand.

Dean went to him, and scooped him up in his arms.He nuzzled his nose into Cas’ neck and growled low.“Mine.”

“Yours.” Cas repeated, smiling.Dean lay him on the bed and stepped back to strip off his own clothes.He laughed as Cas reached out for him and, bashfully, tried to strike a seductive pose to woo him back.He couldn’t possibly say no to that.Taking a deep breath, he crawled over to Cas and steadied himself, just looking at his beautiful Omega.

“You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted, and more.I want to do this right.”

Cas laughed hoarsely and pulled at Dean’s shoulders.“That’s sweet, Dean, but right now I want you to let that Alpha loose so he can fuck me senseless.”

“Is that all?” Dean laughed.He leaned down and kissed his mate.

Cas kissed him back and then pushed him away roughly.“What I need is for you to knot me.Maybe next time we can cuddle?”

Dean was already hard, and when Cas pulled his knees back towards his chest, he gave up trying to be the magnanimous Alpha altogether.

Cas always produced slick when he was aroused, but Dean was surprised to see his Omega’s thighs and belly coated with the stuff.Even the tight ring of muscles that held all Dean’s attention gave in easily to his touch.

Cas moaned at the sensation.

Dean could wait no longer, and finally pushed into him.Their bodies joined as one and Cas could feel the energy flow through their bond.

It was so different than all the other times they made love.With his Omega channel open and ready for Dean, every inch of his Alpha’s cock made contact with a maddeningly sensitive point deep inside him.As Dean fucked him slowly, Cas scrambled to grab hold of his back and shoulders.The heat and need inside him was still building to a crescendo, but he felt safe and knew his Alpha would take care of him this time.

Dean grunted softly against Cas’ ear, and looked down to where his cock glided smoothly inside the slick covered hole.

“What’s wrong?” Cas murmured.The movement threatened to pull him out of his state of ecstasy, and Dean distracted him with a kiss.

“I can feel my knot forming.This might hurt…”

Dean’s sizeable girth already stretched his Omega channel comfortably, but it was too late to turn back.With a cry, Dean’s orgasm overtook them both.

Cas felt the warm gush of seed flow into his body, into his channel and his… his womb.A place so deep inside him that even he didn’t truly know it existed until now.

However, Dean’s knot continued to grow, straining the walls of the channel to prevent any seed from escaping.And then it grew still more, causing Cas’ eyes to shoot open and his hands to push against Dean’s chest.

“Stop!Dean!”Tears sprang to his eyes, and he tried to squirm away.

Dean held him gently, and tried to comfort him.“I can’t… If I try to pull out I’ll tear you.I’m so sorry…” He kissed Cas on the lips and cheeks, and eyelids.“Here, before we’re fully knotted let me try and-“

He repositioned himself slowly, still inside the Omega, until he was pressed against his back with his arms wrapped around him.Cas breathed a sigh of relief.The pain was immense, but in this position Dean was moving less, and that gave him a break.The knot was still swelling.Cas imagined himself bursting apart from the inside, and only came back to his senses when he felt Dean kiss away a tear on his cheek.

“I am truly sorry.I thought you knew… didn’t your family teach you anything about mating?”

Cas shook his head.“It’s shameful.Something only your Alpha should know about you, so no… Michael told me about my duty and the basics.Gabriel… now he told me a great deal more, but I could never tell what were tall tales and what was the truth.Neither of them really knew anything about Omegas at the time, now that I think about it.”

“And did you ever dream of a marriage… of an Alpha?”

Cas looked over his shoulder, wincing at the movement, but then smiling.“Are you jealous?”

“Maybe.If fate had not smiled on me on that raid, you would be mated to another.Some stuck up Eden Prince”

Cas could feel the wave of jealousy and possessive Alpha emotions and he snuggled back against Dean to reassure him.“I was always meant to be yours.And there are no Princes of Eden besides my brothers.”

“Were you not meant to be a Prince of Eden as well?Do you… wish you still were?”

“Mm… yes.But you will take me home one day and make yourself King so that I can be both parts of myself again.”

He said those words in a daze, half delirious with pleasure and pain, but Dean watched him sharply.It was something he too had been considering but the time was not right.Not yet.

“Is there still more?”Cas gasped as another wave of seed flowed into him.

“Until the knot goes down.Mating during a heat is rather… focused on one mission.”

Cas blushed.“A pup?” he asked quietly.

“A pup.”Dean kissed his forehead.“Today was the first you ever spoke of wanting a family.Pup _s_ you said.”

“I thought about it, but it was always distant or… something I was ready to force myself through.But with my first heat, and especially this one, I knew that the heat and that painful need… it was my body wanting your pup inside me.It made me forget…”

“Forget what?”

Cas turned his face away, and tried to push the thoughts away until Dean sensed his change of mood through the bond and leaned in.“What it felt like when that… that…”

Dean growled and pulled Cas tightly to him.“That monster.That dead monster who shall never see the halls of Valhalla.”

Cas took a moment to compose himself.The thoughts always came to him unbidden, but here in his Alpha’s arms, with his knot buried inside his body… he was safe.His heart told him he was safe, even if his mind refused to rest.

“I was afraid that I might not be able to mate or have pups if there was something wrong with me after what he did.I still worry…”

Dean put his hand over Cas’ belly.It sent a shiver of excitement through Cas as he pictured Dean doing that when he was swollen with pup.It was almost embarrassing how much the mind of the once detached and academic man was filled with nothing but mating and pups.

“Do you feel it?My pup is growing inside you.And he’s stronger than any dead coward.”

“Him?” Cas asked, smiling warmly.“What if she’s a great warrior queen?Or a shield maiden?”

They laughed together, safe and hopeful in the promise of their life together.It would be hours before Dean’s knot subsided, long after they fell asleep together, and Cas’ body would almost immediately go into the second round of his heat.

It was three days before the couple emerged from their bed, happy, sated, and deeply in love.

More than enough time for Sam and his crew of revenge-minded companions, including the madman Benny, to set sail for Eden in search of Azazel and the Dark God.


	13. Preparations

Winter was long and merciless.Normally there would be anxious talk about how long the food stores would last, or the ever present need to send out strong young men to gather firewood and hunt what few animals were starving out in the desolate frost along with them.

In his time, John Winchester was the man to turn to for such matters, even before he was Jarl, and then the responsibility and respect felt to Sam.

With both of them gone, disappeared into the wilderness, it fell to Dean to shoulder the weight alone.The people knew him to be a strong leader with a steady head on his shoulders, which calmed the more easily panicked villagers.But he was an adventurer at heart, a raider, and there were those who whispered of the curse that lay upon his household.

It was Cas - the Lord of the Manor, used to running a household, who kept things from getting out of hand.Cas organized the rations and pooling of resources.He listened to the mothers, afraid their children would starve, and resolved disputes between those less eager to work together or share what they had.

In many ways, he came into his own as a man, even more than he did as the mate of the Jarl.

Dean was pleased to see his Omega’s success.Mostly he was glad Cas found some distraction from their true problem.

It was unheard of for an Alpha/Omega pairing to remain pupless after a proper mating during a heat.At first, the healers said it was because of the hardship of Cas’ first dry heat.Dean felt the news as a dagger to his heart, believing he had destroyed something so precious as their chance at a family due to his negligence.Then, when another pupless heat went by, the priests gave them any number of herbs and spells and methods to beg forgiveness from the gods, for surely they had angered them in some way.

It was the way of his people, and Dean thought nothing of it until one night when he found the bedding beside him cold, and Cas on his knees by the bedside, whispering words in the Edenite language to a god he did not recognize.Dean did not interrupt him, but closed his eyes and blinked back tears of his own.

When the next heat went by in the same manner, they silently decided to avoid the matter altogether.

Instead, they bonded over the day to day running of their small village.That became their care and their child.The thing that together they would see thrive, and grow, and be slave to no other ever again.

“The farmers have been coming in from the distant steads.We’ve been finding shelter for them as quickly as we can, but they’re more mouths to feed than we bargained for.”Cas was scratching numbers onto a parchment, changing his estimates for the rations.

“We’ll make do.We’ll do what we must.” Dean was sitting in his chair by the fire and absent-mindedly spinning his dagger.“Sam used to always come through for us.We’d be ready to eat the leather off our saddles, and he’d come sauntering in with a deer slung over his shoulders, found gods alone know where.”

Cas sighed.He left his work and wrapped his arms around Dean’s shoulders from behind.“I’m sorry.”

The gesture startled Dean from his thoughts.“For what?”

“For Sam.For… Jess.For all the family you’ve lost because of me.I wonder, was I really worth all the trouble?”

Dean gently tugged on Cas’ arm until he was forced to walk around and slide into his Alpha’s lap.“Yes.There is no question in my mind.Everything else was… unfortunate.The trials that will make me a Jarl that history will remember forever.”

“The conquering king, if I remember the prophecy correctly.”

They smiled at each other.All of that seemed foolish, with them huddling for warmth and eating scraps of food day to day, but it was a pleasant dream they shared.

“If I was to travel across the Winter Seas, it would be to find my brother, and nothing more.I don’t know what he intended to do out there.One man, wandering alone through hostile territory?”

“One man has a better chance of not being noticed than an army.And… he has Ruby.”It was not at all clear that this was a good thing.“I hope her people will be kind to him, since he is her ally.Although Dean, there was another matter that is troubling me… no.Forget it.There would be nothing for it, even if it was true.”

Dean looked concerned and he caressed Cas’ cheek to keep him from turning his face away.“Tell me.”

“Whatever happened - what Azazel did to me in that place - I had a dream, or a memory?A vision of my brother Lucifer.I was so afraid for him, Dean.All I knew that all the love I have for him was not enough to save him from the darkness.I’m afraid my brother is in danger from the Dark God, as much as Sam is.”

“Cas!You should have told me!That settles it.I was torn, but you’ve convinced me.I’m certain of the right path now.The men will get their vengeance on Azazel.I will find my brother and bring him home.And we will rescue your brother from the clutches of this monster.”

Cas felt his heart swell.For a moment he saw the great King from the witch’s prophecy, and then he felt fear.Dean was going to risk everything…

He was also speaking.“- your fighting arm has grown stronger.I think you’re ready to come with us.”

That snapped him out of it.“Yes!Yes!”He kissed Dean until the man laughed.“A thousand times yes!”Dean was too good to him, but he was giving him the gift of seeing a home Cas thought was lost to him forever.Now the man who was once nothing more than his kidnapper, was offering to take him there.

 

* * *

 

Not all the villagers survived the winter, but together they made it through to see the river melt.They waited until the weather warmed enough for travel, and then made their way further inland by horse.The journey was tiring, and made all the worse by the weight of dirt grown heavy from the melting spring thaw.Muddy boots, and muddy furs, and mud in every imaginable crevice.

“King Victor better come through for us.If there isn’t a feast waiting, heads are going to roll!”Charlie continued to mutter threats under her breath, bringing her horse alongside Dean’s.

“You don’t fool me,” said Dean.“You were itching to get out of the village and go on an adventure.”

Charlie tried her best to look offended, but couldn’t help but grinning.Dean’s request for volunteers - for a purely diplomatic mission - had been met by more than his fair share of eager warriors.He selected his best and most trustworthy - those who were intimidating warriors, but who would not be too eager to draw their swords.

The entire thing was exactly what he needed to take his mind off of Sam, and the still unstable Benny, who would once have been at his side as his most trusted man.Now there was Cas, grown lean and sinewy through a winter of little food and only practice with a sword to while away the endless hours.Lost was the softness that would have welcomed a pup inside his body.

“There.”Charlie grew serious.She pointed over the ridge, where a group of warriors approached.They were dressed in full armour, and wore the sigil of King Victor Hendrickson.He was no doubt warned of their arrival as soon as they crossed into his territory.

The escort was both a show of respect… and a threat.There was no love lost between King Hendrickson and the Winchester clan.

The fortress was built high upon a mountain.It could only be reached by a narrow path, which served to make any guests, welcome or not, an easy target for the bowmen stationed along the walls.

Their escort led them up the path, and through the great wooden doors of the main gate.Dean noted an unusual number of soldiers stationed along the walls, more than would strictly be required for each post.

Something was amiss.

“Cas, stay close.”Whatever was happening might have nothing to do with their visit, but that wouldn’t help them in the slightest if things got out of control.

When Dean met Charlie’s eyes, he was grateful to see she was uneasy herself.

They were led into the great hall - large enough to fit the entire lodging of a minor Jarl like Dean, inside.In the centre of the room, a large brazier burned brightly, sending flickering showers dancing across the room.At the far end, Dean could make out the throne, finely carved.And upon it a man so still, he could have been made of stone.

As guests and subjects of the King, the group loitered around the fire, welcoming the brief moment to relax and warm themselves as they waited to be summoned.It could be mere moments, or if they were unlucky, many days.

“Who is that?” asked Charlie.Her eyes were focused on a pretty young Alpha female standing at the King’s side.She had close cropped blonde hair, worn like a boy’s, and wore a cape the colour of oxblood.There was something both captivating and unsettling about her.

When she began to walk towards them, Dean stepped forward.His aim was to discourage the smitten Charlie, but when he felt Cas’ hand on his elbow, he stopped.

“Jarl Winchester,” the woman said, as if amused that Dean pretended to style himself as such.“What great luck.And who are these… gorgeous Omegas?”She looked at Charlie with a hungry smile, but her eyes slid to Cas.“No matter.Follow me.”

The woman walked with an easy grace. _A killer’s grace_.The thought came to Dean like a flicker… and just as quickly it was gone.

Cas hadn’t said a word to her, and furrowed his brow whenever she spoke.

“Who have you brought me?” asked the King, seeing the woman approach.There was a light in his eyes at the sight of her.

She went to his side once again, and they looked out at Dean and his companions.“Winchesters.”

“As in… John Winchester?” The King turned his full gaze on them now.

“Yes.He is no longer with us.I’m his eldest son, Dean.I am Jarl of the lands that once belonged to him, and I seek to renew my pledge of loyalty to you.”

“Good.Good.Your father always managed to shirk his duty.It is good to see his son does not follow in his footsteps.”

“We have no tribute to give his majesty-“ The woman scoffed, but Dean continued.“The harvest was lacking this year, and we’re lucky so many survived.But there is a way for our peoples to thrive.To make our mark on history.”

“He wants you to throw your men in a raft, to cross the Winter Seas to fight the Edenite High King.”The woman interrupted.

Cas had been watching her carefully, and he squeezed Dean’s arm and let out a gasp when he alone saw her eyes.Her black eyes.But they were gone before he could do anything, and it was unwise to create a scene.

Dean was specifically trying to ignore her and missed it.His eyes were locked with the King’s.

“We’ve been there.They have wealth far greater than any of the usual villages we raid.They have power and influence.”

King Victor waved his hand in dismissal.“The risk is too great.I would have to muster my entire army to land on that shore.”

“Not a full army.Just… enough men for a proper raid.We will bring back intelligence, if we can.Enough information for you to know for certain whether it was cowardice or foolishness that led to your final decision.”

The King grew angry and stood.With the raised platform of the throne, he easily towered over the others.“Cowardice? _Cowardice?_ What an insufferable lie!I am not afraid to sail to the Edenite shores.My men will join your ill thought out mission.I will take my cut of the profits.On one condition.Meg, see that this is written and recorded.Meg?”

The King turned around in surprise to see that the blonde woman at his arm was gone.In fact, no one in the party had noticed her leave.

“Bah.No matter.We will shake hands on it.A binding contract.”The King spit in the palm of his hand and held it out.

Dean hesitated.“What is the one condition?”

The King smiled.“I want a favour from you, Winchester.To be called in at a time of my choosing.  It should be no problem, since you are already one of my loyal subjects.”

The condition was vague enough to be dangerous, but there was little other hope for Dean to get the men and arms he needed on such short notice.

Dean spit in his own palm and they shook on it.He turned around, expecting Cas to lecture him on his foolishness, and that’s when he noticed.

It wasn’t just Meg who was gone.Cas was missing as well.


	14. The Dark Abyss

More than anything, Castiel wanted to prove himself. Never before had he such a chance for purpose in his life - not in Eden, where his sole focus was to enjoy his books and solitude before a suitable Alpha was found for him, and certainly not in those first weeks after being captured and taken as a slave. Beyond all hope, his captor proved to be a good man. And now he was giving him a chance he would never have had in the most luxurious balance in Eden.

The trouble was, with all their recent intimacy failure, Castiel really needed to prove himself… to himself. If he was not going to be able to provide Dean with a family, he had to throw all his effort into providing him with a different kind of legacy. The kind the witch prophesied.

When the King finally summoned them, and entered deep conversation with his Alpha, Castiel found himself watching Meg very carefully. He could sense something deeply wrong about her mannerisms. She paid no attention to the King, despite being a member of his trusted courtiers. In fact, she seemed to be struggling with some internal battle that no one besides himself noticed

Perhaps the commotion of so many people in the hall, and such weighty matters being discussed held their attention. Or more likely, Castiel was misreading the situation entirely and should be listening himself.

It was when Meg looked directly at him and winked that Castiel knew something terrible was about to happen. Dean could never leave an audience with the King based on the instinct of his Omega, but he could do this for his Alpha.

Meg chose her moment well. She slipped away without anyone noticing, and there was time even for Castiel to follow.

His heart pounded as he waited for the sound of guards and warriors at his heels. But none came.

Instead, the two of them made their way deep through the labyrinth of passageways and tunnels, going deeper and deeper into the fortress. Castiel started to worry about how deep underground they were headed, when Meg came across a nervous servant girl, waiting for her with torches.

“Are the preparations made?” she asked the girl.

Whatever preparations had been ordered, they left the servant ashen and trembling. She reassured her mistress that they had, in fact, been completed, which was rewarded with a sharp slap across her face.

“Stop snivelling. Your usefulness to me is the only thing keeping you alive, but you are completely replaceable. Is that understood?”

Another nod and reassurance everything was quite understood. This time the girl was more successful at hiding her fear. She kept her head down and followed her mistress in silence. Only once did she glance into the darkness behind them, sending a shock of terror at being found out through Castiel, but she either saw nothing or was determined to say nothing.

The smooth floors began to give way to planks laid roughly across the dirt, and then nothing at all. Castiel wondered if Meg was leading them to the dungeons, but it seemed this passageway had only one destination - a large cavern of some kind. It was plainly furnished. Not the sort of place anyone would choose to spend time in if they didn’t have to. The shelves of strange items reminded him of the witch’s cottage, liquid bubbling in a cauldron of some sort on the fire… and a pit of some kind, full of water, that descended into some unknown depth.

Meg shoved the servant girl roughly inside and immediately sent her to tend the cauldron. Just as Castiel was trying to work out what he could possibly do all alone in the dark by himself, Meg turned around and peered into the darkness.

“Still there, little Omega? Why don’t you come into the light and stop skulking.”

 

* * *

 

Castiel tried to remain very still, and when that did not quell his fear, he put his hand on the sword at his hip. That was no better. Though he had a winter’s worth of training, he felt woefully inadequate and inexperienced. If she called his bluff, he would surely die.

“ _ **Come stand before me!**_ ”

A violent wave of nausea ripped through his body. Though he did not understand what was happening at first, when his will was completely overpowered he knew.

Meg’s command was in her Alpha Voice.

Dean, like all Alphas, presumably had this power over Castiel, but he either did not know how to use it or chose not to use it. There had been no superior Alphas in his pleasant little castle… and before that there was only a vague memory of Michael and Lucifer discovering theirs’ as boys, and practicing it during their games.

Their mother had put a stop to that very quickly. Such a power was an immense responsibility, and if misused it was tortuous for the Omega in question.

He didn’t know it would feel this painful, even with that warning.

At the sound of Meg’s Voice, Castiel’s body immediately reacted. He strode towards her until he was at her side.

She smiled wickedly. “I’m sure you loved how progressive your foolish Alpha was to break tradition and pretend you could ever be a warrior. The truth is, Omegas are nothing but weakness to their people as warriors. All you have to do is speak sternly to them, and they lose all their backbone. _**Stand by the fire**_.”

The nausea was terrible. It was purely Meg’s voice that kept his body upright and in motion, or else he was afraid he’d collapse and vomit. Instead he obeyed her every command, like an obedient soldier. Once he had complied, there was some relief. He discovered he had enough will left to close his eyes and reach through their bond for Dean to come save him.

“I didn’t quite recognize who you were until Jarl Winchester,” a name she practically spat out, “introduced his men. Castiel of Eden, mate of Jarl Winchester. Did you know there is a whole army out there, tearing all of Eden apart, trying to find you? Your brothers are terrified for you, and will destroy heaven and earth to recover you. They shall destroy your kidnappers.”

“No harm has come to me. I willingly remain here with my mate. I am happy!”

She laughed. “What has happiness to do with anything? You /belong/ to your family, and I look forward to the price Dean Winchester will have to pay for taking you from them.”

Castiel looked confused for a moment. Then a chill went up his spine. “You were after me all along…? You were luring me here to return me to my family in Eden?”

“Of course. Your family is wealthier and more powerful than any of these barbarian soldiers pretending to be Kings. The reward is greater than anyone can imagine. I would never have to bow to foreign Kings in the name of my people, or wonder where my next meal was coming from. And besides all that, I’ll take great pleasure knowing some Alpha nobleman has you whoring and whelping in his bed.”

“No…” Castiel still felt the heaviness of her Voice in his head, but he reached for his sword and fumbled it out of the sheath.

Meg only laughed and laughed. “ _ **Drop the sword!**_ ” she commanded.

Castiel could have sobbed as he heard it clatter to the floor at his feet.

“Dean will save me! Even if he can’t, I will find a way to kill myself on the journey south.”

He was not prepared for his words to delight Meg quite so much. “I certainly hope the great Jarl finds us. What fun we will have! _**If you hear any other Alpha Voice commanding you, but my own, you will take this dagger and cut your own throat**_.”

Castiel whimpered as he felt his body prime to comply.

“And who said anything about a journey? For such a prize as you, The Dark God will certainly provide a more efficient means of reclaiming you.”

Meg gestured to the servant girl, who ladled some of the cauldron mixture into a wooden bowl and brought it to her. She held it up for Castiel to see.

The sickening smell of dark magic filled his nostrils, and Castiel began to cough.

Meg stirred it with her finger, and frowned at whatever the result was. “Hm. Not quite ready yet. I might need some more guidance.” She dumped out the contents of the bowl on the floor. “Girl, come here.”

Distracted for a moment, Castiel could feel the mark at his neck burn with rage, and desperation. It was growing stronger, and relief coursed through him, knowing Dean was trying - was going to find him. He closed his eyes and tried to strengthen whatever he was sending through the bond and tried to picture what he remembered of the way down to the cavern.

He was so focused on his task, that he didn’t hear the scuffle or the scream. Meg had the servant girl by her hair and over the sound of the girl’s screams, sliced straight through her neck until the sound disappeared into mere death gurgles. The merciless Alpha smiled up at Castiel. She placed the empty bowl beneath the girl’s dripping neck and waited until it was near filled to the brim.

“My Lord…” she spoke. Castiel did not quite understand, because it appeared she spoke to the bowl. And then he realized that was exactly what she was doing. “I have a great gift for you - Castiel, Prince of the House of Eden. We wish your blessing to return to you that we may both serve you.”

No words came forth, but the blood began to bubble and boil as if someone was trying to speak from beneath the liquid. Regardless, Meg understood and responded to it as if it spoke clear as day.

“Yes, My Lord. No, Lord, I don’t wish to question your will. The mixture is ready, and I am prepared to perform the spell.” She turned her attention to Castiel. “ _ **Bring the cauldron to the pool of water. Empty the contents into it**_."

Nausea, pain, and forced movements he could not control followed as always.

The cauldron was ridiculously heavy. It wasn’t meant to be lifted when full as it was, but Castiel couldn’t do anything but slowly drag it across the floor, while ignoring the burning splashes against his arms and legs. It was a relief when he reached the edge of the pool, and tilted the boiling contents into the water.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, the pool turned a ghastly black colour. The same colour as the contents of the cauldron. It began to swirl. It began to bubble and steam.

Castiel was mesmerized, staring into the inky depths. Somewhere behind him, Meg was chanting a spell at the direction of the blood creature.

The more she spoke, the more it felt as if the depths were calling to him. Castiel reached his hand out to touch the water.

“CAS!”

Dean’s voice was coming from the pool’s depths?

“CAS!”

No! He was here! Dean had come for him! The sound of his mate’s voice along with heavy boots and armour, brought him crashing back to reality. Tears of relief sprang to his eyes as he saw Dean in the corridor running towards him with his trusty warriors.

Castiel forgot everything and ran to his Alpha.

“ ** _Stop!_** ” Meg commanded.

A strangled sob escaped his lips, as he froze mid-step. He looked at Dean desperately, begging him to counter the command.

There was no need. Dean was livid.

“How _dare_ you use your Alpha Voice on a mated Omega! Free him, right now!” He turned to Castiel and used his own Voice. “ ** _Cas, you belong to me. Do not listen to this woman. Come to me_**."

After the pain and nausea that Meg’s Voice brought to him, Castiel was expecting Dean’s to do the same. Instead, it was like warm honey trickling through his mind and body. Or perhaps mead, spreading its warmth and hazy pleasure through his body. Dean’s words erased all thoughts of free will in the quest to belong, body and soul to that Voice.

“Cas no! What are you doing?!” Dean dropped his sword, and walked slowly towards Castiel with his hands palm outward. “Put down the dagger. Please, love. Don’t hurt yourself.”

Even as Cas’ body yearned to follow Dean’s command, it obeyed Meg’s. He held the knife to his own throat, and already several drops of blood ran down his neck.

He would kill himself without being in control of his own body. The thought terrified him, and he shamelessly let the tears stream down his cheeks.

Meg was in no mood to make things any easier. “Stay where you are, or he’ll finish the job. _**Castiel, come back to me**_.”

His body and mind were tearing each other apart. Meg’s and Dean’s Voices echoed in his head, and the waves of nausea and near arousal they both caused left him unable to think clearly.

He obeyed Meg and walked to her side, where she stood at the edge of the pool.

“ _ **LET HIM GO!**_ ”

This time, Dean’s Voice was directed at Meg. It wouldn’t have the same effect as it would on an Omega, but it made her wince and take a step back.

It was enough to momentarily clear away some of the fog in his mind.

Castiel remembered Dean back at the caverns with the black eyed demons. How he tore through hundreds of them in an Alpha Rage to save his Omega. The memory comforted Cas, and embarrassingly made him feel warm between his legs.

No. He was not embarrassed.

He realized that this bond, Dean’s instinct to protect and his own need to submit to his mate - that was what would save them. It was nature fitting them together as one being, and there was nothing for him to be ashamed of.

None of this was of interest to the impatient Alpha trying to regain control of Cas. She turned to Dean.

“You can try to kill me… you might even succeed. But Castiel was born for a greater purpose than you can even imagine. And nothing you do will stop that. It will only make things more difficult for your Omega.” She spoke flatly, as if resigned to her fate.

For a moment, Castiel thought she would give up.

Instead, Meg grabbed Castiel by the arm and pushed him towards the pool. He was already unsteady, and despite his attempt to root his feet to the ground, he stepped into the black water.

Where he made contact, the water began to glow.

At first it was imperceptible. Some trick of the light in the caverns. Then, it grew, until it seemed like there was a light coming out of the very depths of the pool and it was brighter than even the torchlight.

“It calls to you, doesn’t it Castiel? Don’t fight it. It will be easier on you if you don’t fight it. He doesn’t want to cause you pain. He wants to save you.” Meg was using her regular voice, but she was saying things that made him feel like letting go. Or was that yet another thought Meg’s magic was putting in his head.

From where he stood, trying to move closer to Cas, Dean was speaking too. His voice was comforting and seductive.

“Don’t move, Cas. I’m coming for you. We’ll go home. Do not let her take your mind. You belong to me… you belong in my home, in my bed. **_Come to me, Cas…_** ”

Like sunshine breaking through the fog, Cas suddenly knew with absolutely clarity that Dean was the one who spoke the truth. He turned to him and looked in those green eyes. Those green eyes that had captivated him since the first time he saw them.

Meg’s spell on him broke completely. His mind was clear once more, and he locked eyes with Dean and smiled. “I love you. I am yours.”

But it was too late.

Meg launched her full body weight against Cas. She pushed him into the pool - pushed him backwards into and under the water.

He could see her hands and the dim light of the torches. He could see shadowy figures moving to pull Meg out of the way, and hands reaching down into the water towards him.

But the water was taking him, and they were oh so far away…

 

* * *

 

Dean didn’t waste a moment. He unhooked his belt, letting his weapons clatter to the floor, and dove into the water.

The pool was deceptive. It was not as deep as it seemed, and Dean almost immediately touched the bottom. That was hopeful. Castiel wouldn’t drown in such shallow water.

But the pool, and its inky darkness was also deceptive in other ways, for try as he might, Dean could not find his mate’s body.

His men dragged him up for air, and held him down as he screamed and raged. They took turns going into the pool and looking for their friend.

He was simply gone.

“I’ll kill her! I’ll skin her alive!” Dean was mad with rage and grief. He managed to take hold of one of his men’s daggers and stabbed Meg in the side.

“No!” Charlie pushed him back, so the other men could restrain him. “We need her.”

Meg was badly injured, and yet she managed to smirk in a way that drove every one of Dean’s men to the edge of their control.

“Tell him. TELL HIM IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!” Charlie yelled.

Dean managed to get free, and extracted the dagger from Meg’s side to hold it to her throat.

“WAIT! He lives! You won’t find a body because he’s not in that pool. Not anymore. The spell worked. He is with the Dark Lord now!”

“That sounds an awful lot like fancy words for my mate being dead!” Dean spat. The dagger drew blood, and his very hands were crushing her windpipe.

“I can take you to him!” she choked out.

At that, Dean couldn’t risk killing her. Even in his rage, if there was a chance to save his Omega, he had to take it.

“Drain the pool. I want to be certain she speaks the truth. And on your lives, restrain this creature.” His anger began to waver and give way to fear and grief.

“Cas…” 

 

* * *

 

 

Quite unaware of what happened to him, Castiel opened his eyes.

He had been dragged from the edge of a pool, in a cavern lit only by the torches of men he did not recognize.  They gawked at him and whispered amongst themselves.  Odd little men in brown robes.

"Why is Meg not come through?" asked one.  "Ohh, the Master will not be pleased!"

Castiel felt sick.  His vision swam, and he couldn't stop the world from spinning.  And worse!

He struggled to remember anything of importance to help him orient himself to this strange place.  All he knew was that he was cold and wet and that his name was-

"Castiel?!"

A familiar face appeared before him and Castiel could have cried with relief.  It was the thing he wanted most in the world, to see the face of someone he loved.  Someone who would take care of him.

"Raphael!"

His dear brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that wasn't too confusing! The spell essentially made the pool into a portal, and Castiel went through - so he's not dead!
> 
> He's just very, very far away from Dean.
> 
> But... he's somewhere that will bring both him and Dean closer to the bigger picture and a future with a bigger scope.


	15. Raphael

Raphael was the third of Castiel’s brothers.  Despite also being an Alpha, he was born with neither Michael’s inheritance and grand destiny, nor the charming roguishness and strength that delivered Lucifer his whims.The third born son resented his elder brothers, and had precious little use for Gabriel’s nonsense or the neediness of the younger children.

But Castiel?There was a quiet understanding between the brothers.

They respected each other.  Two scholars in a family of warriors and kings.While the others held play battles and received training in far more important matters, Raphael and Cas would often retreat to their father’s library to read as much as they could get their hands on.

The moment Castiel laid eyes on his brother again, even after all those years, he instantly remembered all of this.Things came to him slowly.His memories were linked as if on a long chain, and all he had to do was pull the right one to remember all the memories attached to it.

It was one of his few consolations in the days after he washed up on the little shore of a tiny underground pool.Other than the memories that would come to him of Raphael or his brothers, there were precious few things he remembered.Not why he was found half drowned.

Not why the men who found him grew so angry with him.

They did not seem the sort to do a great deal of thinking on their own, so Castiel suspected it was truly Raphael’s displeasure they reflected.

His brother had been genuinely overjoyed to see him.Raphael was strange and aloof, even as a boy, but upon seeing Castiel he rushed forward and embraced him.

“I thought we lost you forever…” he murmured, and kissed Castiel on the cheek.

Castiel did not remember the last time he had a meal or bathed, but he was given both.Even though he was exhausted and wanted nothing better than to sleep for a day or two, a Healer was summoned to tend his wounds.

It was during this examination that something changed.

The Healer looked at his neck and frowned.“Were you injured on your neck?” he asked.

“Not that I remember.But I don’t remember much…”

“Does it hurt?”

Castiel reached up and touched his neck.He teared up with an immense sense of longing for the life he could no longer remember, and the Healer took pity on him.

“Put it out of your mind for now.A soft bed has been prepared for you.You need your rest.”

When the Healer finally left, the servants gave him soft robes to sleep in and led him to a room that had everything he had been promised.A large bed, with a feather mattress and pillows awaited him.

He sank into it gratefully and fell deep into the clutches of troubled dreams.

 

* * *

 

Castiel did not see his brother for several days following their reunion.The servants had little information, but they assured him Raphael was an important and busy man.His only instructions were that Castiel was to rest, and have all his needs attended to.

With nothing to occupy his time, Castiel spent hours on end sitting by the window and staring out at the world.

Sleeping was certainly not an option.

His dreams were terrifying and confusing.They were full of memories, always, always beyond his reach.Strangers without faces, who he was certain he once knew in another life.

And a monstrous figure, who would come to his bed and steal him away into the darkness.

They were childish dreams and childish fears.Instead of letting them consume him, Castiel tried to learn more about his surroundings.

Raphael lived at a rather large monastery.Or rather, Raphael was an important man of God, and the lands and people here belonged to him and his cause.The servants were initiates with hopes of joining his ranks.The men in brown robes who regarded him with suspicion, were monks with other lofty matters to attend to.There were even a few, usually at Raphael’s side, who were dressed in brown robes that could not fully hide the full armour and weapons hidden beneath the cloth.  These distinguished themselves by being the only Alphas in an entire building of silent, submissive Betas.  There were two outside his door at all times, but they would not speak to him.

Castiel began to worry that the isolation was punishment of sorts.

But for what?

The answer came on the third day.

The two guards at his door woke Castiel before the sun had yet risen.They escorted him to a room where servants roughly stripped him and bathed him in ice cold water.When they finished, he was dried and given rough linen shift to wear.His fine soft clothes were taken by the servants when they left.

To Castiel’s great horror, as the servants left and entire new group of people entered.

Raphael was with them, but he did not move to greet or comfort his brother.Instead he glanced at Castiel with a critical eye and moved to stand at the back of the room, where he spoke in low voices with several others.

The Healer was among those that entered, and he approached Castiel in the company of an older man and his assistants.He walked up to Castiel andmoved his shift aside to reveal the wound on his neck.A murmur went up among those in the room.

“W-What’s happening?” Castiel asked, unable to hide the tremble in his voice.

The apologetic look the Healer gave him was little comfort as his two guards grabbed him firmly by the arms and dragged him to the bed.

“Raphael?” Castiel begged.

Rough hands forced him down on his back and spread open his legs.Without underclothes, the flimsy shift he wore did little to hide his nakedness, even before it was pushed aside.

“Raphael, please!No!” he sobbed.

One of the old man’s assistants spread his ass cheeks apart, and they began to examine him.

“The mark on his neck is a mating mark, but its bond is broken.The Alpha who marked him is likely dead, or has found another whore for his bed.This one is certainly no virgin.”

Castiel cried out at the intrusion of fingers inside him, as the examination went further than just a visual inspection.

“He has been mated during a heat.The slight swelling indicates his body is in cycle.Either it is preparing to go into another heat or…”

The words hung, unspoken in the air and Castiel was too lost in his humiliation and shame to understand at first.  His body was preparing to accept a pup... or it already nurtured one.

“Leave us.”Raphael’s voice rang out in the silence.It was a command that was instantly obeyed by all, even his faithful captors, the guards.

His entire body shook violently, but Castiel forced himself to sit up and pull the flimsy shift over as much exposed flesh as he could.He tried to remember the companion of his youth, but all he could think of was Raphael tearing the pages out of a precious book for borrowing it without permission.The image of pages upon pages being consumed by flames in the fireplace filled his mind.

More than anything.More than even love, his brother believed in righteous justice.

Raphael walked towards him, but refused to look him in the eye.He was calm, and yet a deep anger shifted beneath his skin.

“How could you let this happen?”

“I don’t understand… I can’t remember!”

“That doesn’t matter!However it happened, whether you willingly spread your legs for some cur or allowed him to exploit your weakness and overpower you, you allowed yourself to be _defiled_!You are unmarried, and yet you bear a mating mark, and carry a bastard pup in your belly.I brought experts to confirm it, but I knew the moment I took you in my arms that there was something wrong with you.”

He had not been expecting it, and the back of Raphael’s hand stung sharply as it connected with his cheek.

“I had hoped for a happy reunion, little brother, but you have taken that from me.It’s a pity I’ve already sent word to Michael and Lucifer about your return.They’ll be quite unhappy to hear of your situation.”

“W-what will you do to me?” Castiel asked.His tears were drying on his face, as the new reality of what he must face began to settle.

“The punishment for fornication is stoning.I am a man of God, and his servant in this world.I cannot spare my own brother the chance to have his soul purified before he meets his maker.But it is forbidden to harm that child in your belly.You will be kept alive for its sake, but when it is born or should it die, you will face justice.Until then… you will remain out of my sight.My men will accompany you at all times, and you will give me no cause to reconsider.No one is to know you are here.Is that understood?”

Castiel nodded emphatically.

With that, Raphael spat on the ground in front of him and walked out of the room.

Castiel was left, humiliated and terrified.The room he was left in was considerably starker than where he slept the night before.The mattress was made of straw, and besides the bed there was only a small chair and a fireplace.

He lay back down on the bed and began to cry.Without thinking, his hand drifted over his belly and the curse that was placed on him in a life he could not remember.

 

* * *

 

The stench of grief filled the hallway, even with the door shut.Charlie was the only one who dared enter the room, even though her Omega senses were sharply attuned to the Alpha’s distress.She covered her mouth and nose with a cloth.

“Dean.You have to drink something…”She held out a wooden cup filled with water, and held it to his lips.The water trickled down his chin and onto his chest.“Dean…”

“I can’t feel him anymore…” Dean murmured.“Even when he was captured I could feel him before…”His voice was overwhelmed with loss and confusion.

“We couldn’t find a body.The Edenite woman swears he is safe.There is still hope.”

That caught his attention.“Hope?Bring her to me.Let us what wonder she has concocted for us today.”

“Drink first.”Charlie didn’t like this idea at all, but when Dean complied, she did as well.The others were wary of their leader, and how he burned like wild fire in his grief.He could destroy them all.

They brought the Edenite woman and forced her to kneel in front of Dean.She no longer had the self-satisfied smirk on her face.Not after the past few days.Meg was beaten and starved.When the mating mark on his neck began to fade, Dean had flown into a rage and killed any man who crossed him - including the King.

Meg knew how close she had come to death.Somehow, this close, it did not seem worth it to trust to the Dark God’s plans for the world beyond.

She caved almost immediately.

All she had to offer was the chance she could recreate the spell.She could bring the Omega back, or send the Jarl - now the King, if he ever woke up to that realization - through.And good riddance to him.The ingredients were few, but there.The spell was still relatively recent.

Dean pulled out his sword and held it to her neck.“You bring him back.Or you tell me where you sent him.And perhaps I will spare your life.”

Meg whimpered.“Yes of course, sir!”

She went about the procedure as before. Preparing the ingredients.Pouring the contents into the water, and saying the words.

Nothing happened.

“No… NO!I swear!I was just trying to send him back to Eden!The Dark Lord wanted him, he spoke to me through his messenger Raphael…”

The quick _snick_ of the sword, and thud of the body, was all anyone needed to know what happened.

“Dean!She was the only information we had!” Charlie protested.

He seemed to barely hear her words.His hand rested over the mating mark at his neck, and he regarded the woman’s corpse through the tears in his eyes.

“She is of no use to me.She cannot bring him back the way he was sent.He is either dead, or in Eden.I will mourn him with vengeance.I will bring the pain I feel and put it on this Raphael who sought to destroy my love.I will raze all of Eden to the ground, and I will either find-“ he struggled to say the name out loud “ _my love_ , or I will find peace in the ruin of the people who took him from me.I do not need her.”

“My King…” said one of the men.Dean had not claimed the crown yet, but by law, the victor had the right to do so.“We are with you to the end.”

A dark smile played on Dean’s lips.“King… yes.It was our dream once, prophesied by the witch.I will accept the crown.I will take the crowns of everyone in my path.I will have the heads of the Princes of Eden to decorate my fortresses.”

A cheer went up from the men in the room, and in the hallway.

Charlie felt sick.The way Dean smelled in this state was terrifying.It made her blood pump in fear.“Don’t let this change you.  Cas wouldn’t want it that way.”

Dean turned on her.The boy she grew up with no longer looked back at her from those eyes.Neither did the adventurer who led her to fun and riches.Death lurked in the Alpha’s eyes.Alpha Rage, burning long and slow.

“DO NOT speak his name!  He did not believe in Valhalla, so he and I will not meet in the hallowed halls of the gods.But I promised him the world, and I will deliver it to him in whatever afterlife he is in.One battle at a time.I will send him the world at the edge of my sword.”


	16. Out of the Frying Pan

Denial was Castiel’s only companion at first, and it was one he welcomed.

The idea of a strange man’s child growing inside his body terrified him in places he never knew existed.Not knowing who it belonged to or how it got there made it hard to feel warmly towards it.He pretended it didn’t exist, as long as he could…

But the pup had other ideas.

The soft, smooth plane of his belly grew round, and changes in his body announced the presence of the growing being.When Castiel finally admitted to himself he was pregnant, he sobbed out of abject misery.

The biggest change was that, small as it was, the pup was always hungry.Castiel had never looked forward to the bland gruel sent up to his room, but now he devoured it eagerly.

His newfound appetite seemed to amuse the guards and soon, day by day, he would find the gruel accompanied by an apple, or a bit of pasty.

“For the pup…” one of the guards explained.He never made a big spectacle of his actions, but clearly took great pleasure in seeing Castiel’s delight at the extra food.Castiel was not shy about thanking him for his generosity.He welcomed any and all friends.

Isolated and alone for the most part, it became difficult not to talk to the pup as he went about his day.With no one to hear him, he would share what he saw of the world outside his window.

“I grew up by a great river.You would be too small to stand in its currents for many years, but my brothers insisted I learn to swim in it, even as a small boy.Everything was a competition with them, especially Michael and Lucifer.One day I will teach you how to…”He placed his palm along the curve of his belly, and felt the smile fall from his face.

He would not teach his pup anything.It would grow never knowing anything about him, except as a cautionary tale.

“Don’t let them tell you I was a bad person… I am not who they say I am.I am not a wh-“ he choked back tears and tried to steady his voice, “I am not a whore.This is not how I wanted to bring a pup into the world.I wanted… a kind Alpha who loved me.One who would build us a home, and take care of us.”

The image came to his mind, of gentle hands wrapping their way around his waist, pulling him close to a warmth he adored.Of lips trailing up his neck and along his jaw, until they settled on his mouth.

He could practically taste the sweetness of the kiss.

As the weeks grew on, the image of this imaginary ideal Alpha began to take shape.He had broad shoulders, strong enough for a young pup to sit on them and feel like a giant.His arms would be strong enough to wield a sword, and gentle enough to cradle a sleeping newborn.

So many details took form, that one night after talking to his belly until he fell asleep, the Alpha - his Alpha - came to him in a dream.

“You’re not real…” Castiel murmured.But that only made the dream Alpha smile.His face was handsome, but that smile… it reached all the way up to the corners of his beautiful green eyes.

“I’m real enough.”To prove he spoke the truth, the dream Alpha lifted his hand to Castiel’s cheek.Such an explosion of warmth and desire went through his body at the touch.It felt almost indecent to feel such things with the pup nestled sleeping in his body, but the sensation was overwhelming.He knew it would never be enough.

Castiel was denied so much in his veritable prison, that over the course of weeks, he talked himself into taking things further.

He reached out to the image of the dream Alpha.This time he refused to hold back.Castiel dreamed he touched him, and tasted him.He let him put his hands on his body and ravage him.

Lying in bed, sweating through his flimsy shift, he came into his hand with a loud cry.The physical relief was immediate, and yet almost as swift came the crushing sense of loneliness.

Would he ever find such love and intimacy?Even if he escaped, no Alpha would want him with a bastard pup in tow.And he would never escape this tiny room before he gave birth and faced his punishment.

Not for the first time, he found himself sobbing over the unfairness of it all.Tears flowed down his cheeks long after any thoughts of pleasure had faded.

And in that utter blackness of despair… the pup moved for the first time.

 

* * *

 

The memory of the last barbarian raid lay heavy in the villagers’ hearts.They remembered the violence and the blood, and had not yet rebuilt and regained all that had been lost.Unlike the little Omega lordling who made the little village his life, the new Lord, a proper Alpha Lord, did not ever show his face.

Now the ships had returned.

They were spotted far out from shore, but unlike last time, there were not one or two ship’s worth of warriors to run from.Such a number could only travel so far, and carry away so much with them.The men and boys of the village began to gather over the course of the morning, staring out at the horizon.

There were ships as far as the eye could see.

What could anyone possibly do against such a force?There were rumours of such armies led by great Kings, but they were far away.They would not save a small village with no worth to the Kingdom.

“Alpha… what do we do?” asked one of the men.

The Village Alpha stared grimly at the choices in front of him.There were no good ones.None that guaranteed the safety of his family and neighbours.

“Send a messenger to the Abbey.”

“And the rest of us?”

He turned to the men.They were hardworking, salt of the earth workers.It was hard to swallow how little they meant to the great mean of Eden.

“We cannot run from such a force.We will not be able to get to the safety of the Abbey in time, and they cannot reach us.Gather the others, and the women and children.Take them into the church.We will meet our fate together.”

 

* * *

 

“Castiel?Castiel wake up.”A hand shook his shoulder gently.

He stirred, and blinked his eyes against the morning light.“What is it?What time is it?”

“Still dawn.”

“Why would I want breakfast so early, Balthazar?”Over the past few months, Castiel had learned the names of the two guards that watched him night and day.One in particular, Balthazar, had become a sort of friend to him - as much a friend as a captor could be.

“Because something’s happening, and you might want to be prepared.”

That caught Castiel’s attention.He sat up slowly, accepting the outstretched arm Balthazar offered.It was so much harder to move these days.His body barely felt like his own.

Balthazar helped him to the chamber pot, and kindly gave him some privacy, before helping him to the small table.It was gruel with an apple, which always made him smile.

“Thank you for this.But please tell me you can talk while I eat.I think I’ve been more than patient about being woken up so early and told that ‘something’s happening’, but not what.”

“Cheeky bastard…” Balthazar laughed.“I promise I will reveal all, but first you have to tell me how the little pup is doing.”

Castiel had just swallowed his first spoonful, and couldn’t help but smile at the mention of his pup.He put a hand on his belly and waited until he felt a small movement.

“He kicks like a horse.Barely lets me sleep at night.”

“That means he’s strong.That’s good.You’ll both need to be strong for what comes next.”

The colour drained from Castiel’s face, and he accidentally dropped his spoon.“H-Have they given you orders about what to do when he’s born…?”

The thought was weighing heavily on Castiel’s mind.He knew that pregnancies didn’t last forever, though no one ever sat him down and prepared him with any sort of information about what to expect.His belly was so swollen he was surprised he didn’t burst.In fact, he expected to at any moment.

The grim expression on Balthazar’s face confirmed his worst suspicions.

“They have been making plans.We’ve been briefed on what to do in case it happens sooner than we expect.”

“And what are you to do…?”

Balthazar’s eye twitched at that question, but he was a smooth talker and quickly changed the topic.“It doesn’t matter anymore.A messenger arrived last night.Damn near killed himself and his horse getting here.Ships were sighted on the northern shore.We’re being invaded.Raphael and his men have not slept all night.The whole castle is preparing for war.”

“Raphael’s men…?Are you not Raphael’s men?”

“We serve your father, our King.And in his absence, the High King Michael and your brothers.We serve Raphael, because he in turn is a servant of the King.”There was a strange look in Balthazar’s eye.“For many months we have watched Raphael’s disdain for you, and… it is wrong, Castiel.You are a Prince.A son of the true King, and it is wrong.I know we have had a hand in your suffering, but you must understand we intended no harm.”

Castiel felt his breath catch in his throat, and tears burned in his eyes.His appetite was completely lost, and he tried to move as little as possible, hoping that Balthazar would continue.

“I’ve been trying to get a message back to the High King for months now, and finally someone heard our call and responded.Then last night, news of the invasion broke.”

“Is that a good thing, or bad?”

“Bad, in general.But good for us.You must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice Castiel.In your condition, it will not be easy to move quickly, but-“

“No, I’ll do it.Whatever it is, however risky it is.I don’t have a choice.They’ll kill me and take my pup if I don’t.I was thinking the only way out was going to be to kill myself…”He choked back a sob, and Balthazar came to kneel beside him.He put a hand on the weeping Omega’s shoulder.

“You are very brave, Castiel.When this is all over, I would be honoured to have a few drinks and a few laughs with you.But for now, you are trapped in an impossible situation between Raphael’s men and the barbarians.I fear whatever Raphael wishes to do to you would be nothing compared to the barbarians…”

Genuine fear pushed down the embarrassment that his first thought was of the green eyed barbarian he dreamed of in his fantasies.Such men did not exist.

“I will make myself ready.Just… if I could ask one thing.Please hurry?This is the most excitement I’ve had for months, and I’m not certain my heart can take it.”

Balthazar laughed and squeezed his hand.“Then be ready, and stay hopeful.”

 

* * *

 

The villagers crowded into the small church.Not all were willing, but they had little choice.Last time the Omega Lord had met the barbarians and turned them back.This time there would be no one to stand in their way.

If the Village Alpha said this was the only way, then they would have to trust him.

The Alpha and those old enough to fight shared whatever weapons were on hand.When they ran out of those, they began to arm themselves with kitchen knives and tools.A few were sent out to the woods to send warnings.Most were given leave to wait in the church with their families.

There was no smoke to warn them of the army’s approach this time, no screams from the empty villages closest to the shore - and yet, one by one the men sent as scouts returned with the same information.

The barbarians were coming.

The barbarians were coming.

Even filled with people, the church was so quiet that they could hear the beat of footsteps on the path through the village.It wasn’t thousands of barbarians marching to their door, but it might as well have been.

The footsteps stopped right outside the door and then there was a single knock.The people cowered, and a cry went up.

The Alpha turned to his men.“Open the door.I will speak with them.If they kill me, then you will know.Do what you must with that information.Do what is right for our people.”

The doors opened just enough for the Alpha to slip by before they were shut and barred.A few of the men pressed their ears to the door and hoped to hear what would follow.

“These people are innocent.You may have all you want from our lands, but I beg of you to spare our people.”The Alpha spoke to the man he presumed to be their leader.The man was a tall Alpha who and wore a great cape made of wolfskin, slung across his shoulders.The man’s green eyes bore into his very soul.By his smell alone, the Village Alpha knew he was outmatched.“Please…”

“When we were last here, you lands were run by an Omega.What became of him?” the barbarian asked.

It was an odd question, but the Village Alpha had nothing to lose.“He disappeared the same day the village was attacked.We assumed that your people killed him or…”

“Did that sadden you?Was he a Lord who was much missed?”

“Yes.He was good to us.He cared about the people here, and he was as a part of our families.Our new Lord has much bigger things to worry about.”

“If I asked you to now… would you swear allegiance to his memory?”

The Village Alpha looked completely confused, until the barbarian leader ordered his men to sheathe their weapons.

“He did not die that day.He came with me to my land, and he became a part of my family.There are those in Eden who have hurt him, and I will see them brought to justice at the end of my sword.There will be no mercy for them.But for those he loved and who loved him… I have a one time offer.Every man, woman and child who swears allegiance to Prince Castiel may live.My men will not harm them.”His eyes darkened and he pointed his sword at the Village Alpha.“Any who stand in my way…”

“No!No!Castiel was a good and kind lord.We will swear allegiance to our good Prince.My Lord…?”

“I am no Edenite Lord.I am the King of the Northmen, and I am here to claim what rightfully belonged to Prince Castiel.”

The Village Alpha knocked on the church door and told them to open it.In full view of all the people, he knelt and offered his sword to the barbarian king.

“As the Alpha of this village, I hereby swear loyalty and allegiance to Prince Castiel of Eden, and in return accept the protection of the King of the Northmen for myself and my people.”He turned to the people in the church and nodded to them.“Do as they ask.Swear allegiance and no harm will come to you or your children.”

The King walked into the church, and stood up in front of the altar.One by one, the people lined up and did as asked.The King watched each one carefully, and when uncertain, he asked them to speak about the Prince and Lord.

Only once, when a man unwillingly mouthed the words and proceeded to complain about all highborn shits being the same, did the barbarians bare their teeth.Before the man had even finished speaking, one of the warriors stepped forward and drove a dagger through his neck.

The King of the Northmen looked out at the villagers.“Who is next?”

 

* * *

 

Castiel had no belongings to pack and no travelling clothes to prepare, but he was awake and waiting for Balthazar when he came that night.

Thankfully, Balthazar came prepared.He brought fresh clothes, loose enough for Castiel to wear in his condition, and a warm cloak.

“Hurry.We have no time to lose.The barbarians have landed.They’ve retaken Gabriel’s fortress and your village.They’re creating a stronghold for themselves, and I fear it will only be another day or two before they attack.We must leave tonight, while Raphael’s attention is diverted elsewhere.”

“I’m ready.I’ll be glad to never se this room ever again.”

Balthazar smiled.“I thought you might say that.”

Castiel got dressed, with some help from his friend.He pulled the cloak around his shoulders, grateful for the warmth and to finally feel safe and hopeful again.

Then he took one last look at his prison cell and left, ecstatic to be free of it.

The two guards moved him quickly through the hallways.Castiel couldn’t walk very fast, but both guards held his arms and supported him as best they could.

Everything was chaos in the Abbey.Everyone from the knights right down to the lowliest servant was scrambling to and fro.There were more mouths to feed, and for long trips.There were weapons to check and armour to repair.Anyone of any real importance was locked away making plans for battle, or sent away as emissaries to those with armies that might have a chance against the barbarian force.

No one looked twice at the trio moving through the Abbey.It allowed them to get all the way beyond the walls and into the surrounding forest before they were stopped.

“Halt!What business have you in these lands?”

Balthazar’s partner began to give a report, when Castiel gasped and ran up to the speaker.He was alone, wearing the same armour as Balthazar and his men, but his face was covered by a cloak.

Castiel ran up and pulled the hood from the man’s face.“GABRIEL!” he cried.He threw his arms around his brother’s neck and felt the embrace returned.

“It’s good to see you too, little brother.”

“I missed you so much!I was so worried that all of you agreed with Raphael about my fate.”

Gabriel grimaced, and pulled away a little to look at Castiel’s swollen belly.“God, you’re huge!No… no Castiel.There was nothing that would bring me out of hiding, except what I heard was happening to you.Raphael had no right.No right!That bastard.He always did take a little too much pleasure in hurting others.Hid it behind all that holy nonsense, but still… He failed you.And I failed you too.I was a coward to leave you to be captured.I never imagined…”

“Left me behind…?”

Gabriel looked confused more a moment, but then took a deep breath and both brothers embraced again.They allowed each other the tears they needed, before Balthazar put his hand on Castiel’s shoulder.

“We should get moving before they notice something is wrong.”

Gabriel dried his tears and returned to his normal, lighthearted self.“Come on.Let’s get you and that pup away from all these crazy people.They can kill each other without us.”

Castiel missed the look that passed between Gabriel and Balthazar, as he was helped onto a horse with great difficulty.

“He doesn’t remember…?” he asked Balthazar in a whisper.

“Sometimes he does.Seeing something that reminds him helps.But of his time with the Northmen?Nothing that I have heard.”

“Good.Then he can lie honestly when Lucifer tries to get information from him.”

“Is this really our only chance?”

“Trust me, Michael would have been no better.At least Lucifer is close by.”

Castiel smiled back at them, and both men returned the smile.He looked so happy, having escaped his inevitable fate, that neither man had the heart to tell him he had just leapt from the frying pan into the fire.


	17. Into the Fire

Fog lay heavy over the valley beneath the Abbey, giving it a falsely peaceful appearance in the grey morning light.Every man with armour and a sword was prepared for battle.Those who could not fight were to serve as they could, repairing armour and helping stockpile arrows for the archers.A select few would be sent to safety in the woods beyond.

Several monks with worried expressions returned to their master.The one who stood before the others clasped his hands so that they would not shake quite so badly.

“What is it?I don’t have time for this.Where is he?”Raphael looked up from the map, expecting to see his men bringing him a very pregnant Omega.

He was displeased to see they had returned as they left.

“Do not make me repeat myself.Where is my brother?”

“My Lord, there is no explanation for why he is gone.We looked everywh-“

A loud cry ripped through the air as Raphael launched himself across the table, sending maps flying every which way.He grabbed the monk by the throat and slammed his face into the table.

“What do you mean he is _gone_?How can he be gone?!Where are his guards?”

The other men looked terrified, watching their Lord choke the life from their leader of mere moments.It seemed just as likely that providing information would result in their deaths, as being caught holding information back.

“It appears he is gone, and the guards aided him in his escape,” said another monk, stepping forward.“I fear it doesn’t bode well for the safety of the Abbey if, on highest alert, a group could move about and leave the grounds at will.”

Raphael eyed the man carefully, considering his words.He was still furious.His hand never loosened its grip on the other man’s neck.“You.Find out how he escaped, and where he is going.My brother carries something very valuable, and even if he is lost to us, the child is not.He must be returned to me unharmed.Is that understood?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The man bowed and disappeared with the remainder of the men on his new assignment.Only the man choking to death slowly on the table remained.

“We are about to face a hard battle, or at worst a siege.I cannot afford to mistrust the men at my side, nor can I afford to lose any of their already too few numbers!”Raphael released the man, who lay back gasping for air.

“Send him as a messenger to the barbarians.Offer them terms.Tell them what will happen if they bring the wrath of Eden on their heads.”

“Shall we outfit him for battle, my Lord?”

Raphael’s eyes darkened.“No.No armour.No weapons.We can spare none for those among our number who are already dead.Get him out of my sight.”

The guards did as ordered, removing the man and sending him out on his final mission.There would be no returning.

Raphael returned to his maps, which the men quickly replaced and spread out in formation on the table.

Though he would not say it out loud and in front of the men, Raphael was quickly despairing at the rumours of exactly how many godforsaken barbarians were in this army, or where their forces were moving through the land.

His only hope was that God had truly forsaken his enemies.

 

* * *

 

Two problems would have been workable.Avoiding Raphael’s men was managed with a combination of projected confidence an pure luck.Avoiding the barbarians proved more difficult, as every few hours the little group would have to hide from another scouting party moving through the countryside and returning to their base by the Sea.They barely managed that, but they did not get caught.But three?Three was one problem too far for their luck.

‘They’ve probably taken your fortress for a second time,” Balthazar pointed out, smirking at Gabriel.

His comment earned him a scowl.“I hated that place.Damp and boring, and never any new pretty faces.Michael can take the blame for that one for putting me there to begin with.”

“Shh!There are more of them!” Balthazar’s counterpart called from the front of the party.They slipped from their horses - no easy task for the pregnant Omega, who did very little _quickly_ any more - and hid.

Balthazar was busy doing his own scouting, so he didn’t hear Castiel at first.“Three more of them, headed south.It looks like they won’t just be satisfied raiding by the shore this time. _What, Castiel?!_ ”

But by then the Omega’s warning was useless.He heard the cry of pain and turned in horror to see his fellow soldier, throat slit from ear to ear by the intruder, fall to the ground.

“This is all your fault!You should have stayed!Raphael has exiled me now!One way or another, I’ll make sure they come for you!”The man took off running.

Balthazar rushed to Castiel’s side by instinct.He was furious, and his blood called for vengeance upon the man that murdered his friend.

Gabriel caught his arm before he could run after him.  "He is one of Raphael's priest.  No matter what he does, he will be bad for us!Leave him.Leave your friend and the horses.There’s no time!Look!The barbarian scouts see him.They’re going to catch him, and if we don’t move carefully and quickly, they’re going to catch us as well.Hurry!”

The trio remained very still as the small party of barbarians converged on the man.They questioned him, and when that proved unsatisfactory, began beating him.His lot in life was about to get much shorter and more unpleasant.

“Now’s our chance,” whispered Gabriel.

Moving Castiel to safety was not easy, and it was clear it caused him a great deal of pain.He would need to rest after this, and for a long time.

“Pup will be alright?” Balthazar asked.

Castiel’s face was ashen, but he nodded.

 

* * *

 

Dean left the men to feast and drink by the great fireplace in the main hall.They had much cause for celebration, and though he could not bring himself to share it, he did not resent their happiness.

The castle was more lavish than anything Dean had ever known, even stripped of much of its former glory.That was his doing in the days when all he thought of was bringing some of the fat and happy Edenite living back to his people, struggling to eke out a living in the Hinterlands.

It wasn't until he stumbled on a room that was still blanketed in the heavy scent of Castiel - his old room, no doubt - that the realization of all he took away from Castiel hit him.He took safety and luxury away, and gave him what, in return?

Death.Or worse.

The guilt over Castiel’s fate was a physical wound that never seemed to heal.It kept him from sleeping.The smallest happy memory would send his stomach churning.  

This time, in a room completely filled with scents to trigger Dean's memories, he had only seconds to steady himself against the wall before his legs gave way.

“Your Highness!”

The voice was unfamiliar.One of King Hendrickson’s men, or the others that had joined along the way.Dean recognized leadership and promoted his men accordingly but it was a big shift away from the small band of raiders he practically grew up with.

Thankfully, Charlie was with the small group of warriors approaching.As soon as their eyes met, a look of worry crossed her face.She was always worried about him these days, but that was not the sort of thing to talk about in front of the others.  She delayed the others long enough for Dean to regain his composure, but did not say anything about it.

At the moment, there were greater issues at hand.A man was dragged before him, having already been beaten within an inch of his life.

“Who is this?”

“We found him running towards our lines.He first claimed to be a villager and then a traveller, but after Benny _spoke_ with him,” Charlie’s eyes shifted to the silent figure beside him as she spoke, “he admitted he was one of Raphael’s men.”

Dean regarded the man.He had neither an impressive figure suggesting great physical skill, or the composure of a man whose thoughts and words held great weight.“Why is he missing all his hair at the top?”

“We think he is one of their priests.They wear funny brown robes and shave their heads to make them less pleasing to the eye.”

Edenite priests held no favour in Dean’s heart.He thought of the hurt in Castiel’s eyes as he spoke of their control over his life.And that was at best.At worst they were priests of the Lord of Darkness who claimed the life of his beloved Omega.

Until he was able to face the monster himself, his minions would have to do.

“This Raphael.He is one of the Edenite princes, is he not?”Charlie began to answer, but Dean pointed to the captive.“I want him to explain.”

“Y-yes.Yes, Sir.He has sworn a life to God, but he remains a humble servant of the High King.”

“Priest or not, my men tell me he has an army that he keeps in a great building behind stone walls.”When the man nodded he continued.“I will not send my men to his walls so that he may watch them starve as he waits.You have been inside his fortress and if you value your life you will tell us another way to get inside.”

He was surprised to see the man hesitate.Such an offer was beyond kind, and yet it only resulted in an impassioned speech about Eden and God’s inevitable victory over the barbarians.

“Fool…” he muttered.At a nod from Dean, Benny and the others bound the man hand and foot.They tied a cloth around his eyes and dragged him off to the cellar to obtain the information their King needed.

Charlie followed the group until they threw the prisoner into a darkened room, laughing at his cries for mercy.

She had no qualms about war or the measures that had to be taken during it, but Dean was her friend before he was her King and she worried greatly about him.He was not a cruel man, but the loss of Castiel sparked a flame within him that destroyed all in its way.

She begged the gods that it would not destroy Dean himself, and all of them with it.

“Benny…” Charlie grabbed his arm before he entered the room.The man was pure muscle now.All the softness of his previous life had disappeared with the loss of his wife.Now all that remained was the hardened warrior, determined to take as many Edenite lives as he could, in order to please the gods and rejoin his wife in the afterlife.

He stared at her with those empty eyes and she quickly removed her hand from his arm.

“Be careful.”It was a plea for something more than fear of what the quivering priest could do to him.But Benny could offer no comfort for such things anymore.

“This is no place for an Omega.”

The words stung Charlie as if he had struck her physically.It was a cruel and heartless thing to say, and something she feared from the new men but never her own people.

Frozen where she stood, Charlie found herself unable to leave as instructed to her as an _Omega_ , but without the courage left to barge inside the room.She could hear the muffled sounds of questions and screams of pain.Whatever else he was, Benny was good at _this_.He would get Dean the information he needed.

And he did.The man divulged every secret he had by the end of it.Including one that would have perhaps been forever lost if Charlie had not been listening outside that door.

“P-please!I beg of you let me live!What I said is true.You can enter the Abbey from the tunnels beneath the kitchens.I know you can.Raphael forsook me because I allowed his precious Omega brother to be carried off through those very tunnels.”

“Thank you for finally telling us the truth.A pity you didn’t spare yourself a great deal of pain by doing so earlier.We have no further need of him.Kill him.”Benny’s voice had a note of finality in it, and after he spoke there was one last cry of pain and the room went silent.

Aside from Dean, Charlie had perhaps been closest to Castiel in the Hunterlands.She knew of his family.If Raphael was indeed a prince of Eden, then only one person could be his Omega brother.

Charlie gasped.“Castiel is… alive?!”

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean you’re not coming with us?”

Balthazar was still furious with Gabriel about the skirmish that saw his friend die.He knew it was not the man’s fault, but he had little patience left, and Gabriel’s pronouncement pushed him over the edge.

Both men looked at the sleeping pregnant Omega to ensure they had not woken him.In the distance, they could see the horses approaching over the far hills, which meant their charge only had a few more precious moments of sleep.They were still on edge after being hunted, and did not trust even the sight of men bearing Lucifer’s mark.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, and walked further away from the campfire.“I told you.I only intervened for Castiel.He’s not like my other brothers.My other brothers are _insane_!I refused to be drafted into their armies just so I can fight yet another of my brothers!”

“Then how can you just hand him over to one of them in the state he’s in?!I have fought in the ranks of the High King’s army.I _know_ what is said of the strange goings on in Lucifer’s lands.It is no place for a pregnant Omega or a child.”

“… what have you heard?”Gabriel was always completely self-assured, but now he faltered.There was something about Lucifer that set the man on edge and for the life of him, Balthazar could not pull an explanation out of him.

“That he surrounds himself with sorcerers of the Old Magic.That he has forsaken God and Eden, and wishes to see himself asGod King.”

“Yes,” Gabriel mused darkly, “that does sound like Lucifer.He was never quite the one for small, measured delusions of grandeur.”

“Then once again I beg you.Do not send him to your brother without you at his side.”

Gabriel grew agitated and began to pace.“Our choices are to hide here and eventually be found by Raphael’s men.Or the thousands of barbarians that will be sweeping through the countryside any day now.I already failed him once by leaving him to face them alone.Look at what happened.The child he carries is a living sign of the suffering he endured because I failed him once.No.We will not remain and risk returning him to the barbarians.Short of that we can seek help with Michael or Lucifer.Michael has no interests in the North…”He held his palms upwards and spread out his arms, suggesting he was open to other options.

“Will he harm Castiel?”

“No.Lucifer has his faults, but he always adored us younger children.Besides, unlike Raphael and his religious madmen, when I told Lucifer of the _situation_ Castiel finds himself in, he offered to send a carriage for him.He said he wants to help, and I believe him.”

“Let him go,” said a voice that caused them both to startle.Castiel was awake and somehow managed to stand all by himself.These days it was a task that required one or both of them to assist.He smiled at his brother and walked over to embrace him.“It’s just who Gabriel is.Never around for the good or bad times.Just the messenger who never arrives until the very last moment… but always just in time.”

Balthazar was forced to relent, and Gabriel smiled with relief.He and Balthazar were two of a kind, and under different circumstances would have drank good wine and been very good friends.

“I am not a coward,” he said, meeting the man’s eye over Castiel’s shoulder.“But perhaps the day has yet to come when I can prove this.Until then, I thank you for protecting my brother and his pup.”

He turned his attention back to Castiel.“You will hear many half truths and lies about our family in the coming months.One that we should have told you long ago is… our family has a sort of… magic that runs in our blood.Old Magic.You can imagine how hard mother worked to hide it from us, but father believed it was important for Alpha Kings to know.He taught Michael and Lucifer some.Me even less.”

“Do not make light of such things, Gabriel!”

“I’m not!Forget it.Just take this ring.It doesn’t matter if you believe or not, just take it to remember my by if nothing else.”

Castiel was confused, but he accepted the gift and said a tearful farewell, yet again, to his beloved brother.Balthazar and Gabriel shook hands, and then the man disappeared into the trees.

Balthazar was not happy with this outcome.“Do you trust him.This feels like a betrayal.”

Castiel barely seemed to be worried at all.This was just how Gabriel was.“You can’t rely on him for anything, but you can trust him.Gabriel makes very little sense, but he has a good heart.”

“Does Lucifer have a _good heart_?Can he be trusted?”

The question was of vital importance.They could see the men on horseback, riding alongside a carriage towards them.All were covered in great swaths of purple cloth bearing Lucifer’s crest.If there was to be a last minute escape it would have to be now.

“I… I hope so.”

 

* * *

 

The carriage was ornately carved and gilded, an extravagance far beyond the sheer gall of taking royal purple as his house colours.As part of its luxury, it also featured heavy fabric draped across the windows from outside.The only glimpses of the outside world on the way toLucifer’s encampment were brief and by chance.

They were both fed quite generously, but by the guards who never spoke or removed their visors.

“That’s encouraging, isn’t it?Not at all unsettling.”Balthazar muttered the thought to himself once, when a basket of food was shoved inside and the door shut again.

Castiel had been relieved to see the words accompanied by a smile.

“I know this is less than ideal, but I thank you for standing by me through all this.I have no choice but to hope for the best.You are an excellent Alpha, but the pup needs an Alpha of his blood to protect it.For now, I hope that will be my brother.”

Balthazar was not convinced, but he nodded.The pup needed protection and to belong somewhere in order to thrive.He said nothing about how Castiel had started a new habit of turning Gabriel’s ring on his finger when he was nervous.

Finally, after what could have been hours or days, the carriage stopped.The ever silent guards opened the door, and blindfolded the two of them.Castiel had a vague impression of being in a military encampment.There was the bustle of noise as work went on around them, but no din of social chatter.The solider at his side guided him through until they reached their destination.

As the blindfolds came off, Castiel could see they were in a grand tent, fully furnished as if it was a room in a palace back home.Soldiers and strange looking men and women dressed like pagan priests littered the space, and there at the very front an centre a throne upon which sat-

“Lucifer!”Castiel broke into a smile and held out his arms for his brother.It was not done that a high lord should rise and walk to welcome a guest of lower standing, but Lucifer was never one for the rules.He stood and walked right up to his brother to pull him into a hug.

“Cassie!Look at you!What happened?” he laughed.

“What happened to me?Well.A pup.What happened to you?”The question was said in a tone matching Lucifer’s friendly one, but it hid genuine worry.

Lucifer was a handsome man, even now.He was born a great golden Prince of Eden, and he would always look that way.Only now, he had an ugly scar that ran across his face.It marred his otherwise beautiful features, and seemed to have not fully healed despite blending in to his skin in a way that suggested it was not a new injury at all.

“Nothing to worry about.An old battle injury.Luckily wealth and power is enough to seduce some clever Omegas to my bed.Isn’t that right, Sam?”

He turned to the unusually tall Omega waiting by the throne to be introduced.The Omega was staring at Castiel in shock, and at the sight of him, Castiel felt like the weight of a memory hit him hard enough to wind him.He gasped at the sudden light-headedness and fainted before he knew what was happening.

Ever his faithful servant at his side, Balthazar caught him before he hit the ground.He tried to wake the prince, and when that was unsuccessful begged Lucifer for a Healer.

“My prince needs to rest after his journey.The pup puts a great strain on his body.Please…”

See that he is taken care of, will you Sam?I don’t need to know about some vile Omega body issues.I know thefun details about making pups, but I have no intention of finding out how they come out.Take him away, will you?”

The Omega rushed to Castiel’s side at Lucifer’s command. 

“Of course, my Lord.We will fetch a healer and take care of this discreetly.Come with me, Prince Castiel,” Sam said, giving Balthazar an urgent look that begged silence.“Quickly.”


	18. The Burden of Memory

Sam Winchester reconciled himself to the idea that he would never again see his home.  It was a heartbreaking truth to face, but without Jess there would never be a sense of home.  Not while the darkness that took her mind was still out there, destroying other lives.

Not while he couldn’t bring himself to exact revenge on her killer.  Dean.

His rage at his brother’s betrayal only increased with the time and distance between them.  If the positions were reversed, Sam would have given his life trying to save someone Dean loved as deeply as he loved Jess.  Yet, the strength of the filial bond between them was both weak enough for his brother to take her away from him… and strong enough that Sam couldn’t bring himself to harm his brother.

Much had happened to Sam in the months since he left the Hunterlands.  Many dark and terrible things, carefully placed into a secret place in his mind and locked away.  All of it led him to the court of King Lucifer.

And now Cas had found him here.

“What are you smiling at?” asked the soldier.  He wore a large, shapeless brown robe, but beneath it Sam could see immaculately polished armour with the sigil of one of the royal houses of Eden.

None of which explained the intense loyalty which made him refuse to leave Cas’ side.

“I said-“

Sam held up his hands defensively.  “I know we just met, and you have no reason to trust me.  But I am trying to help.”

“The Prince can reassure me himself when he wakes.”

Both men turned to the Healer sitting at Castiel’s bedside and examining the unconscious Omega.  With Lucifer’s blessing, it had been easy to procure a private room, and the services of his personal Healer.

Unfortunately it did not procure the good graces of said Healer.

“This is a waste of my time!  I have served generations of Alpha royalty, and now I am wasted on some Omega whore?  Tell King Lucifer-”

The solider stepped forward with a low growl in his throat, and Sam was barely able to hold him back.

“Tell him yourself.  I am certain he’ll be pleased to hear how unwelcome his orders are.”  Sam’s voice was intentionally sharp, despite the consequences it risked.  In the Hunterlands he had been free to speak his mind, but here among the Edenites an Omega of low birth was expected to be utterly subservient to all those above them.  Even a Beta like the Healer could expect mindless obedience from Sam.

Were it not for the fickle nature of their King and master.

Despite the fair grievance he might have against Sam, they both knew that Lucifer had taken a liking to the strange foreign Omega.  It was unlikely that a Beta’s pride would interest him more than Sam.

The Healer huffed his annoyance and immediately began packing up his things to leave.

“Wait!  You have to help him!”  Sam regretted his words if it meant Cas would suffer for it.  He tried to reach for some of his things before the Healer could, to keep from him leaving.  He even grasped at the sleeve of his tunic, but nothing would change his mind.  “You there, solider.  Bar the door!  Do something!”

The frenzy of activity as all three argued nearly drowned out the sound of something entirely unexpected.

“Sam…”

Sam was doing his best to control his temper, despite the arrogant Beta spitting insults in his face.

“Sam, it’s alright.”

The solider was no longer interested in any help from the Beta, and reminded him of the respect he was owed as an Alpha with a heavy blow to the side of his face.  He was about to repeat himself, when Sam finally noticed the movement on the other side of the room.

“CAS!”

He rushed to the side of the bed, just in time to catch the Omega as he unsteadily tried to get to his feet.  Worry was written all over his face, until he felt Cas’ arms wrap around his neck in a tight hug.

“Sam!  Sam!  Oh… you don’t know how good it is to see your face!”

He couldn’t help but laugh and return the embrace.  Despite everything that happened, Cas was a friend and brother and he was overjoyed to see him well again.

Sam pulled back slightly so he could get a good look at him.  Compared to the last time he saw him, Cas was pale and gaunt where he was once rosy cheeked and well-fed.  Trying to imaged what could have happened to bring about such a change worried him.  Seeing the swell of the Omega’s belly brought him back to the matter at hand… and replaced his worry with that of what could possibly have happened to separate the pregnant Omega from Dean.

The soldier had waited patiently, but now knelt beside them to see for himself.  He grinned widely as Cas looked his way and hugged him in turn.

“Balthazar!  My good and faithful friend.  You promised you’d keep us safe and you have.”

“Of course I did!  You wound me by ever doubting me!”  His words were belied by the relief in his eyes.  “You know this man’s name?”

Cas smiled at Sam and nodded happily.  “Sam Winchester.  He is a good friend to me, and… he is brother to Dean.  Jarl and Alpha.  Father to my pup.  My mate…”

Sam felt the happy moment began to crack.  Speaking happily about the memory of Sam and Dean, he beamed and placed his hand on his belly.  At the mention of Dean being his mate, his face fell.

“Cas, are you okay?” Sam asked quietly.  He looked at Balthazar, and without a word the two both agreed they might have been too optimistic about Cas’ sudden recovery.

They helped him back into bed, and made him comfortable.

“Cas, please tell us what’s wrong.  Does this have to do with Dean?  What happened?”

Cas shook his head.  “I don’t know.  I don’t remember.  I… I think there was a great deal I couldn’t remember, but when I saw your face.  Oh Sam, it all came back to me.  The raid.  Azazel.  And Dean.”

Balthazar seemed pleased enough by this breakthrough.  “That was more than you’ve remembered for months!  This Dean is your pup’s father?  If he is your mate, then all your worries about how you fell pregnant mean nothing.  Right?  What troubles you now?”

Cas had placed a trembling hand on his neck.  At first Sam didn’t understand.  It was a natural enough gesture, until he realized Cas was touching his mating mark.

“Let me see.”

With a gentle touch he reached over and took Cas’ hand in his own.  He squeezed it encouragingly as he looked at the slowly fading mating mark.  The once bright symbol of his brother’s love had healed over and was all but gone.

A mating mark was powerful magic.  Not just any bite would take, and when one did it lasted for the life of the bond.  Only one thing was strong enough to break such magic.

Death.

Sam met Cas’ eyes.  Even if he couldn’t see the tears streaming down his friend’s cheeks, he could smell the overwhelming grief that suddenly filled the room.

Balthazar was trying to steady the Omega’s shoulders as he cried.  He was well beyond his depth, and looked completely terrified of the weeping Omega before him.  “It might not be what you think.”

“What else could it be?  Neither distance or disloyalty can break a mating bond.  The only explanation is that Dean is-“

“Dead!  Dead!  I can’t feel him anymore!” Cas sobbed.  “All this time I couldn’t remember, and I should have been grateful!  I can’t do this without him.  I can’t go on if he’s-“

Balthazar slapped Castiel across the face. The gesture stunned everyone, him included.

“I know this is difficult.  This is more than I will every understand as an unmated Alpha, but you cannot do this to me again.  I do not know what fate has befallen your mate, but I do know that after all those months of suffering you have found him again.  I know it is just the memory of him, but it is more than you had before.  And now you know that the pup you carry is his as well.”

Sam smiled weakly and squeezed Cas’ hand.  He was going through grief of his own at the sudden realization of what life without his brother would mean.  Despite how they left things, he loved Dean.  After Jess he was the most important person in Sam’s life.  He hadn’t even been able to kill Dean to avenge her, and now he was finally understanding he would never be able to make amends.

The sound of bells ringing throughout the building came crashing through the sombre atmosphere in the room.

“A call to prayers,” Sam started to explain, before realizing he was the only barbarian present who needed such an explanation.  Despite his home being across the sea in the Hunterlands, Cas was Edenite once, and so was the man he accepted as his bodyguard.  “Though, Lucifer is not overly fond of flagrant displays of faith and piety.  Mostly the bells signal dinner is about to start.  We should join the others at the King’s table.

If nothing else, we must do all we can to avoid drawing his displeasure.  Lucifer is either a friend or a foe… but he is not someone to leave things well enough alone.”

 

* * *

 

Night fell over the camp.  While the battalion of soldiers chosen by Dean to attack the Abbey either rested or readied themselves for dawn, Charlie tried to come to a decision about her own course of action.

She was worried about Dean.

As King, he had seen unparalleled success.  Her friend had turned a childhood sense of adventure and purpose into the type of leadership that made the impossible, possible.  Dean had done what no other leader in the history of the Hunterlands was able to accomplish.  He united the disparate and warring northern clans under a single banner.

As her friend, however… Charlie was terrified for him.  A King was allowed, perhaps even expected to be distant and aloof from his people, but that was not the person Dean was.  Somehow, after everything that happened, Dean managed to shut himself away.  He drew his strength from a different well now.  A much deeper well of pure animal rage and instinct.

Even with proof, Charlie suspected she would not be able to convince him to stop.  With each battle, the pure instinctual Alpha part of Dean grew stronger.  It levelled armies with its bare hands.  It bathed in the blood of the dead that lay in its wake.  Charlie was not the only one in awe of the source of Dean’s power.  She just happened to be the only one who saw the toll it was taking on him.  How it was becoming harder and harder to see the mischief, and charm, and generous soul of her old friend beneath the rage of the Alpha’s grief.

Charlie knew it threatened to consume him, and she was not about to let that happen.  Her course of action was clear to her now, even if she wasn’t quite sure how to accomplish it.

She walked towards Dean’s tent with purpose.

“HEY!”

The solid mass of Alpha muscle that stepped in her way belonged to Benny. One of his hands was clamped around her arm, trying to keep her from getting away from him.  Which wasn’t going to stop her from trying.

After struggling, she managed to free herself and trip backwards into the dirt.  From the ground she looked up to see Benny watching her from the ground with that cold, dead-eyed expression of his.

“You used to smile, you know?  You used to have a heart…” she said quietly.  It was the first thing that popped into her head, and she instantly regretted it.  She was scared, but not cruel.  Benny was yet another Alpha grieving the loss of his Omega.  He was her friend too.

And now he was staring down at her with anger?  Disdain?

Pity.

“He cannot know.”  The words were said so simply, and without prompt so it took Charlie a moment to understand what he meant.

“No…”  The very idea was too cruel.  She shook her head in horror.  “You knew?  Dean is our friend!  How could you hide this from him, when you know it’s going to kill him?  You know how he feels!  You know what it is to lose everything you love.  How could you even suggest-“  The words caught in her throat as Benny reached down and grabbed her by the scruff of her tunic.  He lifted her off the ground until her legs swung wildly in the air, and she was eye level with him.

“I am suggesting we take our orders from our King.  I am suggesting we let the dead stay buried.”

Charlie only heard secondhand from Dean and Sam, what happened the night his Omega died.  But even without knowing the horror that drove him mad, Charlie knew he lived with the ghosts of his past.  Her eyes softened.

“Don’t you see?  This is our chance to spare him from all you’ve suffered.  Cas is alive, I just know it.  I know you think so too.  If we can just tell him.  If we can give him hope and help him channel his efforts into finding him… don’t you see?”

Benny was looking straight at her, but it was clear he did not, in fact, see.  Instead of understanding or sympathy there was that same cold, dead-eyed stare.  And anger.

“How many times do I have to tell you?  He cannot know!”

Charlie whimpered at his heartlessness, but didn’t get a chance to respond.  Both she and Benny turned their heads to look across the rows of tents and campfires, swarming with warriors as they were roused from sleep and rushed to grab their weapons.

Beyond them, the horizon was filled with torches lighting up the night sky.

“Pick up your sword.  Try to rise above those Omega instincts, and we might survive the night.”  He let go of her and broke into a run at full speed to join his captain and King.

Charlie didn’t need to be told, let alone twice.  She picked up her sword and shield.

Dean stood at the perimeter of the camp.  His chest and feet were bare, as if roused from sleep like the others.  Benny walked up behind his King and placed Dean’s cloak over his shoulders without a word.  It was the bloodied pelt of a great black wolf, and made him look monstrously intimidating.  He rarely went into battle without it.

The enemy soldiers approached in formation, preparing to cut a bloody swath through the camp.  It was clear from the way they moved that their ranks were not made up of scared farmers.  These were trained warriors.  Soldiers by profession.  Their armour was adorned with red cloth, and they bore the symbol of a great black dragon.

Charlie didn’t recognize it, but it stirred something inside her.  She didn’t understand what it was until they were close enough that she could see their eyes.  Black eyes.  She recognized her own feelings reflected in the expression on Dean’s face.

None among the warriors needed to be told how to fight, but they formed up behind Dean and waited for his command.  The lines of enemy soldiers were quickly closing the distance between them.  The ones closest were mounted, and would crush any warriors who happened to stand on foot in their path.  Which, given the barest amount of time they had to prepare was all of them.

She held strong.  Despite the panic welling up in her head, she knew this was what made them strong as a unit.  Individually, their fear would drive them apart.  Their fear would overtake them and they would be scattered like sheep.

If they trusted Dean, he would take care of them.

The hoofbeats were so close the ground shook beneath their feet, and she could feel her heart beating in her ears when the order finally came.

“SHIELD WALL!”

Every warrior took their place without question.  Charlie found herself several rows behind the front shields, and steeled herself for impact.  The shield wall would be almost impenetrable until the moment Dean gave the order, and those black eyed monsters would feel the bite of their steel.  As the first horses and men crashed into them, the sound of metal clashing and wood splintering filled the night air.

“BREAK!”

The shields parted enough for the second line of warriors to push their spears into the enemy line.  Almost as quickly, they withdrew and the shields closed around them again.

Then came the screams.

The injured horses let out a heart shattering noise, only drowned out when it was replaced by the agonized screams of the dying soldiers.

From where she stood, surrounded by warriors, Charlie couldn’t clearly see what was happening.  She could hear where the screams were loudest, and that the cries were in both the language of the Edenites and her own.  The shield wall must have given way on one side.  It would certainly explain the Edenite soldiers pouring into the breach.

After that there was no more time to think.  All that remained in the scope of Charlie’s senses was reflexive muscle memory, reacting to the danger coming at her from all sides.  She was smaller than the other Alpha and Beta warriors.  

The crush of bodies pushed the air from her lungs.  Panic began to well up in her head, until a great ugly Edenite helmet appeared in her field of vision and she saw those black eyes peering out from beneath it.

Charlie let out a great war cry and slashed as hard as she could beneath the edge of the metal.  Her sword came free with a sickening squelch.  Blood sprayed across her face.  And she braced herself as a cloud of smoke came pouring out of its mouth to join the swirling cloud above the battlefield.

When the body fell to the ground, she found she could breathe in the space it left vacant until it filled with more and more Edenites.

“There are too many of them!” she yelled, but it was hard to tell if anyone heard her.

Dean’s eyes remained focused on the battle, and she had long since lost sight of Benny.  Perhaps it would have done no good even if they had.  Every one of the warriors from their village fought against greater odds than this, and they always came out victorious.  But that was different.  Those times they had the benefit of something else on their side…

The Alpha.

A great roar reverberated through the air.  It shook her very bones and forced her to her knees, along with countless other warriors and soldiers on the battlefield.

When the deafening noise finally stopped, she looked up expecting to see Dean, but instead she saw a great black wolf move from a crouch to standing tall like a man.  Or did she?  Charlie rubbed at her eyes and felt her mind clear the next time she looked.

It was Dean .  He was just wearing the wolf pelt, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was still looking at an animal.

Ever since Cas’ death - or disappearance - the Alpha had become a frequent companion of theirs on the battlefield, but it never stopped striking fear in her heart.  Charlie watched her friend draw upon his rage and grief, killing every soldier who stood in his way.  What they had not been able to do with sheer strength of arms, Dean accomplished in minutes, by letting go of one more piece of his humanity.

Charlie couldn’t let that happen.

She tried fighting her way to Dean.  Around her, their warriors began to regroup.  The Edenites were fleeing from Dean’s path, and running straight towards them.

“Dean!” she called.  “Listen to me!  You have to stop!”

Her words couldn’t reach him over the din of battle.  Over the screams of the men dying at his hands.

Benny heard her.  He appeared out of nowhere, growling low in his throat and changing direction to intercept Charlie.  Her eyes grew wide as he closed in, disarming her before grabbing her by the neck.

“What did I tell you?” he snapped.  “We’d be dead if not for him.”  Charlie struggled, even biting Benny’s hand when he tried to stop her from calling out to Dean again.  “Charlie, STOP!  You asked me if I saw before.  Why don’t you open _your_ eyes and take your own advice.

With few other options left, and growing tired, Charlie stopped struggling and went limp in his grasp.  She saw her fellow warriors finish off the few remaining Edenite soldiers.  She saw the black cloud grow larger and larger, until finally, it dissipated altogether.  She heard a sound rising over the battlefield.

Cheering.

“What did you expect?” Benny asked.  His voice was surprisingly gentle and he loosened his grip on her neck.  “Because of what Dean did, these men get to live another day.  They might even be so lucky as to see their families again when this is all over.”

Charlie closed her eyes.  She let go completely, finally allowing the tears to stream down her face.  Benny was not wrong.  As King and leader, whatever Dean did that night saved the lives of all of the men still standing.  Her life.

So why was she so terrified, instead of grateful?

It likely had to do with the sight of him, standing surrounded by death.  Covered in death.  With that… _look_ in his eyes.

“Benny, let me go.”  She begged him quietly, unwilling to accept disagreement.  It must have worked, because Benny did as asked.  His gaze followed out towards Dean, and he too looked shaken by what he saw.

Charlie ran to where Dean was staring into space, swaying slightly as if, without a battle to fight he just… stopped.  In his eyes was the hollow look of an Alpha, torn from his Omega, trapped in a never ending nightmare.  Trying to save all his men… except the one he needed.

“Dean…?” she said softly.  It didn’t seem safe to startle him, but she reached out to take his hand.

He turned to her slowly, without seeing her.  But Charlie could see the tears flowing down his cheeks.  She couldn’t help but close the distance between them to take her friend into her arms as he collapsed, sobbing.  He was shaking.  Weak.

Benny rushed to kneel beside them.  “We can’t let the men see him like this.  That and we have another problem.  Can you make him calm down?”

Charlie glared at him.  “Of course I can’t!  I’ve been trying to tell you this was getting out of control!  He can’t take much more of this.  How can you be so heartless?”  And then the rest of his words sunk in.  “What do you mean we have another problem?”

Benny looked out to where several warriors were holding back a furious Edenite.  “We have a survivor.  Dean needs to speak to him, but not like this.  We have to make him calm down.  This might be important.  The prisoner says he is a Prince.  His name is Raphael.”

At the sound of that name Dean’s head snapped up and he broke free of Charlie’s embrace.

“DEAN NO!”


	19. Embers of Hope

Dean came to, waking from a terrible nightmare. The pain in his head was excruciating, and yet it was nothing compared to the pain as he remembered Castiel was dead.  The rage and hatred went out like a flame extinguished by the power of rain.  Along with his hope...

He found himself surrounded by six of his Alpha warriors, holding him down roughly as if experience already taught them not to underestimate his strength. It was completely disorienting. Some part of him knew that it was wrong for his men to exert such power over him, but his mind was coming out of a haze and he couldn’t quite think straight.Dean found his eyes drawn to Charlie. She knelt by his head, steadying his face in her hands and watching him with a worried expression.

"Dean…?" she asked.

He blinked at her for a moment, confused by the question. The warriors tightened their grip on him at that hesitation. "Ow! Yes, yes! Who else would it be? What happened?"A collective sigh of relief went but his men held tight until after Benny and Charlie discussed the matter off to the side. "Will someone please explain-" he started to say, ready to bring down his full wrath on the perpetrators of this terrible insult to his authority.

Of course, that was before he saw the prisoner.

The man was forced to kneel in the bloody, muddy earth off to the side, and for a single confusing moment he felt his stomach drop at the recognition. It was certainly something about his eyes, the most striking feature. Ocean blue.They reflected back a fierce independence, that was both unusual and specifically for Dean, devastating. Perhaps the man was not handsome in quite the same way.He had a shrewdness to him. A deep unsettled jealousy, which lent an intolerable harshness to his features.

"It can't be… Cas?" He murmured.i it was too soft for any of the others to hear the broken hope in his voice.But no… His hope was in vain.The Norns were merely taking pleasure in his pain. The man before him, on second glance, looked nothing like his beautiful Omega.There was something haughty in his manner.Some innate quality marking him as a Prince, even as he knelt in the mud. It was this last quality which seemed so painfully familiar, but the man in front of him was all sharpness and feeble Alpha jealousy. It made it very clear that any remote family resemblance to Castiel was a gross imitation and nothing more.

Dean swallowed the grief, tears swelling in his eyes at the reminder of all he lost. He smiled sadly as Charlie put her hand on his shoulder, reassuringly.

"You came back to us…!" she said. The relief was evident in her voice, and Dean knew whatever happened had been a close call. It was so unlike his friends and warriors to treat him might be way, but it did not feel threatening. Dean felt as if he would fall apart any moment, and the strength of their support was comforting. Charlie had tears in her eyes as well. "I knew you wouldn' t leave us."

Benny stood off to the side as, unlike the Omega, he knew to show to due deference to the superior Alpha. His eyes showed great weariness, and impatience to move his focus to all the matters still waiting to be dealt with at the end of a great battle. "I tried to tell her not to second-guess your orders. You are our Alpha and King. If you wish a prisoner dead, it is not our place to stop you. It would be our place to obey you. But to my great shame she convinced me, that if this was really your will you would want this even now. The prisoner' s life is yours, as it always was." He knelt before Dean and bowed his head. "As is my life, my King. If you wish this prisoner to die, then I will deal the final blow myself."

There was an understanding between the two of them as Alphas andlifelong friends. One that Charlie, with all her intuition and understanding, would never know. A betrayal of this magnitude threatened everything.Dean walked over to his captain and raised him to his feet.

He embraced his friend.

“Rise.You,” he looked between Benny and Charlie, “you have both acted as my trusted advisors and truest friends.Not only do I not demand punishment for your actions, but I celebrate the loyalty they showed.The Alpha within me is a tool.It is not _me_.”He smiled at Charlie and embraced her in turn.“Now, let us see if this Edenite’s life was worth my captains risking theirs.”

Charlie gasped at his last words, and even Benny looked at her, surprised.Through all his exploits, Dean had been very selective about who he trusted.His inner circle of captains was limited to the Alphas who had served him long and well.Benny fought at Dean’s right hand.It was not an ideal arrangement.There were many conquered Jarls who grumbled about the honour denied them, but this… naming Charlie - and Omega - as a captain?Putting her over Alpha Jarls in the military hierarchy?

“If we can question one more order…” she began, but Dean laughed.

“I know what I said.Don’t you worry about what they think.I need someone by my side who isn’t afraid to stand up to my Alpha in loyalty to me.”In fact, not only was Dean not worried, he took great pleasure in their reactions.

He imagined such a decision would have pleased Cas greatly.

“YOU!You will not get away this this, barbarian scum!”

The prisoner’s insults made Dean’s inner Alpha struggle once more to be free.It wanted to tear the tongue from the man’s head and then dare him to repeat his insults.Dean knelt in front of the man and regarded him.

“What is your name?”

“I will never tell you any-“He choked on his words at the sudden press of Benny’s sword against his throat.After a moment of hesitation, he seemed to change his mind.“My name is Raphael.Third Prince of the Royal House of Eden.Lord of the Abbey in the Valley.”He bit his lip to save whatever little pride remained.

“Tell me, Raphael.If you are the third prince, there must be others.What are their names?”

A look of confusion and then hope crossed Raphael’s face.Surely the barbarian had heard of the great armies of Michael and Lucifer?“My eldest brother, Michael, is High Kind of all Eden, Ambassador of Paradise, Guardian of the Faith.He was at my father’s side when they conquered the lands of Purgatory, now given to our second brother, Lucifer to rule as King.Their conquests have brought them great wealth and power.They will answer your call for my ransom.”

Little doubt existed in Dean’s mind that the two would answer, though it would be with armies instead of gold.“Are those all your brothers?”

“All but the two youngest.But they do not matter.Both are exiled, in disgrace.”

Disdain dripped from Raphael’s voice, and Dean felt his blood boil, knowing he spoke of Castiel.The man before him might have the same blood flowing in his veins as his Omega, but that would be little protection for him if his purpose was to tarnish Castiel’s legacy.A low growl sounded in his throat, which caused Raphael to angrily lower his eyes in submission.

“Your younger brothers must truly be monsters to deserve such a fate.Tell me, do they have titles and armies as well?”

Raphael visibly struggled with the question, not wanting to anger the barbarian or provide more information than necessary.The entire world knew of Michael and Lucifer, surely.But to speak of Gabriel and Castiel’s faults?That was a private family matter.Nonetheless he clearly had a great deal to say about his younger brothers.“After me was born Gabriel, another Alpha.He should long ago have taken on the responsibilities that entailed.Instead, he has chosen to waste his life drinking and fornicating with whores.He couldn’t even protect the little seaside fortress Michael gave to his care.One that hadn’t been approach in hundreds of years, only to be lost within a year of his guardianship.”

“And younger than him?”Dean was not interested in the personal flaws of a man he had already defeated.Neither did he want to hear a similar, scathing appraisal of Castiel’s character, but without the beautiful Omega by his side for so many months, Dean was desperate for any trace of him in this land.

“Castiel…” Raphael spat the name.“His was perhaps the greater betrayal.He was the youngest.Most treasured by our mother… by all of us truly.He was the only Omega born to our family.The silly fool never understood how much of our family’s survival depended on him.So many wasted years spent coddling him, just because Michael thinks of him as a child.He could have already been matched to a powerful King or Lord, bred children that could carry on the-“ He bit his lip to stop the words from coming out.It was done in such a manner that one could think it was just emotion overwhelming him, and Dean was so eager to hear more that he did not push the matter.“After all that waiting and patience, he ran off and let himself be _violated_ by one of you barbarians.When I get my hands on him again, I’m going to-“

The crack of Dean’s heavy fist slamming into his skull came so quickly, there was no time for him to react.He lay dazed on the ground, until Dean’s warriors picked him up and put him back on his knees.Copious amounts of blood flowed from the newly opened wound, adding a new layer of blood caked on his face and body.Dean was standing and pacing back and forth.His hand was over his eyes as he breathed in and out steadily.Raphael remained silent, clearly willing to give him all the time he needed to calm down, terrified of a repeat.

“Dean…” Charlie’s voice was quiet, but she put her hand on Dean’s arm to focus his attention.“Don’t let him take control.Right now he’s a distraction we can’t afford.Think about what Raphael is saying. _Think_.”

Dean blinked up at her.He knew she was trying to tell him something important, but his brain was thinking in Alpha terms.How much pain he wanted to cause Raphael.Whether he should die quickly or painfully slowly for his threat to Castiel.

“He… threatened Castiel…” he said slowly.“He knew we took him.How?”

Raphael whimpered despite himself as Dean grabbed him by the collar and lifted him so that his feet dangled in the air.“How did you know?”And when the prisoner was too scared to speak again, he let his hands slip around the man’s hateful neck.  The Alpha was taking control again, and Dean was more than willing to let him.  “ _How did you know?!_ ”

“He told me!We found him, and he told us everything.The kidnapping, the boat journey North.Living among barbarians and being their wh-“

Charlie groaned at Raphael’s apparent lack of survival instinct.The man’s face was turning purple and angry red marks ran around his neck as Dean’s grip slowly crushed his windpipe.“Wait!Dean!It means Castiel was alive!After he was lost to us… he came here.This man has seen him _alive_!”

She let out a sigh of relief as Dean slowly lowered Raphael to the ground.His hands were shaking and unshed tears shone in his eyes.

“Tell him…” she urged Raphael.“By the gods, if you value your life, tell him Castiel lives!”

The rebellious look in Raphael’s eye had returned, as he seized upon the leverage he so sorely lacked.His eyes narrowed, and a cold, calculating look settled on his face.“What is your interest in my brother?Why… you’re acting as if you were defending your mate, as if you were the one who- No!It cannot be! _You?!_ ”

Even if he wished to keep his feelings hidden, Dean could not stop the way he felt about Castiel being clearly displayed on his face.Nor would he choose to do so.The code of a true warrior disdained such pretences.Dean knew nothing of the complicated games of power played at court.He didn’t even know enough to realize he was standing in the presence of one of their great masters.

Raphael smiled.“My Lord Barbarian,” he said sweetly, “If you swear upon the life of my darling baby brother and your beloved mate, I can take you to him.”

“You know where he is?You’ll take me to him?!”Dean’s mind was flooded with near painfully overwhelming feelings of hope and relief.Painful because Castiel was not in his arms at this very moment, but more than he ever dared him for in a long time.

He would do anything, absolutely anything to save Castiel.

A slight shiver went down Dean’s spine as Raphael’s cold, slithering snake of a smile grew even wider.“Gather all your armies.My brother Lucifer has brought his forces into Eden to defend against your barbarian hordes.His army is but a few days’ ride from my Abbey.If you want to look for my brother, you’ll have to deal with Lucifer first.  Lucifer has Castiel.  He is your enemy.”

As Dean turned to the warm embraces of his friends and soldiers, collapsing into their arms as he sobbed with happiness, Raphael was already plotting.This was an unexpected gift.An opportunity to finally place himself as equal to Michael and Lucifer… and he would not let it slip through his fingers.There were many moving pieces not yet under his control, but as the first step, he would make certain there was no one left to counter the story of his recent time with Castiel - to spread doubt as to whether Castiel was alive, and that he was going to take the lovestruck Alpha on a wild goose chase.  When he stopped his weak sobbing, the King's Alpha would focus in on the Lucifer-scented bait Raphael laid out for him.  The barbarian King would be his greatest chance of victory… and, with any luck, so many more victories beyond that.

A long extinguished fire had been rekindled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had two scenes that both ran away with me, trying to move both Dean and Castiel closer together, and trying to set us up for Dean and Lucifer meeting (meeting is a... nice way to describe it, haha). Split it up into two chapters instead, but at least you get two in one day!


	20. Lucifer and Sam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for dub-con added for this chapter.
> 
> I've been winding things up slowly, but not for this next little bit! We've got a few chapters of frantic chaos and clashes to go before these characters get to next relax.

The table was a source of great pride for the King.  It was a gift from his father many years before, an ornately carved masterpiece whose surface was made to look like the entire kingdom of Eden and the lands surrounding.  At the time it was meant as the gift of inspiration and ambition, given from father to son.  And yet Lucifer had made it greater still.

What was ordinary wood in the presence of any lesser mortal, hummed with a barely contained energy in Lucifer’s presence.  He personally carved wooden markers, representing each player on the field.  For Michael, a majestic white, winged eagle.  Though it would displease his brother greatly, for Raphael, a snake coiled and ready to strike.  There were others of course, lesser forces that sometimes barely warranted much more than a marker, smooth as a skipping stone.  There _were_ others.  Now all that remained beside a few scattered stones was a legion of red dragons.

The sight of it never failed to bring a smile to Lucifer’s face.

“Those are new…” said a tall Beta with fiery red hair that swept across the table as she peered at a cluster of black wolf markers surrounding a snake, in the place where snakes once held a sizeable majority.

“Mm.  I noticed that too.  Looks like we have an uninvited guest playing our game…”

“Does that mean he’s defeated Raphael?”

“Yes, I imagine so.  It’s not entirely ideal, for a Prince of Eden to be defeated… but Raphael was getting too grand for his station.  I was going to have to deal with him sooner or later, and it looks like The Wolf has spared me the trouble.  Perhaps I should thank him?”  He turned to smiled at his lieutenant, expecting her to share the joke.  Instead, her ire was directed at the door and the racket happening outside.

“How can you ignore that constant aggravation?” she asked, a threatening growl slipping into her voice.  “If I were you-“

“You are not me.”  Lucifer’s voice was firm, not needing to inject it with the threat that was implied.  “I may tolerate such grandstanding from my brothers, but do not forget you are merely a servant, Abaddon.  Such consideration does not extend to you.”

Her eyes flashed, but she lowered her head submissively.

“… he is my _husband_ , you have no authority to refuse me entrance in _my own house_!  I will not tolerate such treatment!  First, he brings that Omega whore into my house.  Then he lets him run wild, commanding servants, and seizing rooms to create his own little domain.  I will _not_ stand for this… Lucifer?  LUCIFER!”

“You could kill her…” Abaddon suggested, continuing her thought from before.

The thought was truly tempting, but Lucifer was a man of patience.  He could handle one spoiled courtier’s daughter.

“Lucifer, are you even listening to me? I-“

The door opened to reveal a petite young woman with pale skin and blonde, girlish curls cascading over her shoulders, demanding entry to Lucifer’s sanctuary.  She stomped her foot quite prettily, and proceeding to start screaming complaints again.  “I am _your wife_ -“

Lucifer gently cupped her face and kissed his wife.  “You were a means to an end, my dear Lilith.  And now that your lovely Alpha mother has married off her Omega daughter, and been made wealthy beyond her wildest dreams, I can safely say I have kept my end of our bargain.”  His voice was as sweet as honey, but his eyes were filled with fire as he spoke.

“B-Bargain?  Am I no more than that to you?”

“No.”

She screamed out a cry of frustration, shoving as hard as she could against her husband’s chest, barely making an impact against his solid frame.  Then she grew eerily calm.  “This is because of that whore of an Omega, isn’t it?”

“I see no reason to deny myself all the whores I want, but no, if we speak of the same young man, he is not one of their number.”  It was revealing a weakness to defend the Omega at all, but Lucifer didn’t know there was a weakness to defend until he said it.

Lilith’s smile was crocodile sharp.  There were few enough victories to be won against someone as powerful and cold as Lucifer, but she had struck one today and knew to quit while ahead.  “You may not care, but I am a _lady_.  And I know how to handle a single upstart Omega.”

Lucifer was bored by the interaction, and gestured for the guards to escort his wife back to her quarters… far away from his own.

Abaddon watched until the door once again shut and all was quiet once more.  “Should you try to warn him?  It sounded like she planned to kill him.”

“Who…?” Lucifer asked faux-innocently, earning a raised eyebrow and a laugh from Abaddon.  “Sam?  She can certainly try, but I have excellent instincts.  I wouldn’t have noticed him if he wasn’t of some interest.  And I have a feeling he’s made of much sterner stuff than she expects…”  He pointed to the table, across the legions of red dragons, to the fortress carved on the map which represented where they stood at that very moment.  It was not immediately clear to Abaddon what her King was trying to say… but then there it was.  Clear as day.

In the midst of all the dragons there were two black wolves.

Lucifer couldn’t help but smile at the pure delight of such an unexpected turn in the game.  “I think I’d rather enjoy if she tried to kill Sam.  In fact, if they insist on solving all my problems, I might consider taking a pet wolf of my own…”  Consider was hardly the right word.  This was not the sort of opportunity Lucifer could just let pass.

Distracted as both Lucifer and Abaddon were, they did not take one last look at the far end of the table before they left, else they might have noticed the wolves and the snake were not quite where they last left them… and hadn’t been for some time.

 

* * *

 

“Winchesters!” Castiel muttered sourly.  “Must they make it their mission in life to torture me?”  Balthazar used to come running every time Castiel cursed at Sam for bringing him soup that was too hot, or pillows that were too hard, but he soon grew used to Castiel, and merely chuckled at his constant grumbling.  “Don’t laugh!  Sam has abandoned us to be buried alive in a tomb of musty books… and this one…”  He put a hand gently on his belly, and sighed as the baby happily kicked his bladder.  “This one is outstaying its welcome.”

Sam had not, in fact, abandoned them.  After days of Castiel begging, he finally took the impossibly pregnant Omega on a long, slow walk - waddle - to the grand library, which housed the treasures of Lucifer’s conquests from far and wide.  There were mountains of scrolls, and shelves of books and artifacts.  Only Lucifer would display such priceless history in such an exorbitant show of careless wealth.  Castiel knew his brother was not one for long hours spent reading, not like Sam and himself, but he thoroughly enjoyed _owning things_ , and knew the value of having more knowledge than his enemies.

Castiel settled in with a glorious gold-embossed, leather-bound tome about Purgatory myths and legends.  It was so large, he couldn’t even lift it by himself.

Of course, the youngest Winchester voiced his protest almost as soon as he started reading.  “Ow!”  He waved Balthazar off and took long, deep breaths.  “Shh.  Settle down little one.  What’s wrong?”  _And why did that hurt more than usual?_

“Don’t tell me you have to relieve yourself… again?  You _just_ went!  Not to mention, it will probably take us just as long to find our way back to your chambers, as it will to wait for-“

“SAM!”  Castiel would not - could not- wait.  “Sam Winchester, you get yourself down here right _this instant_!  AH!”

A great big hand clamped over his mouth and Castiel felt utter terror in the moment it took for Balthazar to sprint to his side.  The soldier pulled his attacker off him, only to see it wasn’t some menacing vagabond, but a very, very sick looking Sam.

Balthazar easily pulled Sam off, but almost immediately released the Omega.  He pulled his hand back like he touched a red hot coal.  Thrown by the momentum, Sam collapsed on the floor.  His friend’s skin was the greyish colour of the gruel Castiel subsisted on for months, which sent a wave of nausea as he recalled those days.  Sam was shivering and covered in sweat, his eyes losing focus as the fever took hold.

“Oh my God… Sam!  Sam, what’s wrong?  What happened?”  He reached out his hand and touched Sam’s cheek, only to find his skin on fire to the touch.

“You called me Winchester…” he murmured, reaching out to Castiel.  “Never speak the name Winchester…”

“Balthazar?  What is this.  What’s happening?

The answer clicked into place when Castiel saw the solider pacing erratically a few feet away.  His eyes were blown wide with excess adrenaline, and his fists clenched so tight he was starting to draw blood.  What a fool he was.  Castiel should have seen it sooner, and Sam, _the fool_ should have said something.

“His heat is coming on…” Balthazar choked out, earning a glare from Castiel.

“No, no, no.  How could you both do this to me?” he murmured, cursing under his breath.  Of course Sam was going into heat, in a very public, unprotected place.  In the presence of a highly agitated, unmated Alpha.  “BALTHAZAR!  I _order_ you to get a hold of yourself.  I need help getting Sam to safety, and I can’t do it myself.  It is your duty to help this here Omega, and you will _not_ lose control!”

Balthazar threw him a desperate, skeptical look, but moved towards Sam slowly.  “Cas… I can’t.  He’s too far gone.  I… I can feel it under my skin.  He’s so… ready… I need.  I need to touch…”  The Alpha slowly reached his hand out to touch Sam, and Castiel panicked at the predatory look on his face.

“Get away from him!”  Castiel grabbed the nearest book at hand and smashed it over the Alpha’s head.  It was enough to send him reeling backwards, and momentarily snap back into focus.  “Get out!  Don’t you dare touch him!”

“I’m so sorry, Castiel… Sam… Oh God.”  Balthazar whimpered at the terrified expressions on the Omegas’ faces.  “I’ll leave.  I’ll barricade the door so no one else can enter.  Not even myself.”  He stumbled backwards a few steps and then ran at full speed.  Using the last of his self-control to do as promised.

“Sam…” Castiel said softly, cradling his head in his lap.  “You should have said something.”

Sam dropped his eyes and shook his head, shame-faced.  “I didn’t want to think about it.”

“When has trying not to think about a heat ever helped a situation?  You poor thing.  You really should have said something.”

“Why?  What could you have done about it?  You remember what it was like?  To go through this without your Alpha.  It almost killed you, and you have a village full of people who spent years trying to help Jess and I.  Good people that cared about you.  It’s different here.  Don’t think I haven’t noticed.  Omegas are nothing more than possessions here.  An Omega in heat?  An _unclaimed_ Omega in heat?  It’s an opportunity, nothing more.”

Castiel’s eyes grew wide.  “What happened?”  The memory of Lucifer’s offhand joke about Sam in his bed, the first night they arrived, now sent chills down his spine.  He wasn’t entirely wrong about his assumption.

Sam put his face in his hands.  “It wasn’t like that.  He didn’t hurt me or force me.  In fact, if he hadn’t come along - an Alpha with the sort of unquestionable authority to claim me entirely for himself… it would have gone quite badly for me.”

“But that’s just taking advantage of you!”

The protest came too quickly.  Too practiced to feel certain.  Sam nodded slowly, ashamed.  “I was a mess.  Jess’ death hit me so hard, Cas.  It didn’t just damage my heart… my entire body was slowly dying.  She used to help me through my heats, but they were always so hard.  I only survived the crossing from the Hunterlands because of the potion Ruby gave me.  But it ran out by the time we reached shore, and she… disappeared.  I managed to get to one of the bordering villages before it hit.  They took me to a tavern.  There were so many of them… I thought I would die for sure.  His army was stationed nearby.  I don’t know how he found me, but he did.  I was nearly out of my mind with need, and physically incapable of fighting anyone.  He offered his protection… and more.  And to my eternal shame, I not only said yes.  I begged him to take him… I _want him to take me right now!_ ”

Castiel hugged him close, tears streaming from his eyes.  “Oh Sam…”  He thought of him as a brother.  The closest thing he and the pup had to Dean and family now.  It broke his heart to see his brother suffer like this.  "I won't let him touch you..."

"Neither of us has a choice.  I don’t have a mate.  I had… have to make the best of a bad situation.  I know now I can’t go through this alone.  He told me his name, and I remembered you telling me you had a brother named Lucifer.  That was enough for me in that moment.”

The mere idea had Castiel shaking his head, disbelieving.  “My brothers are _dangerous_.  Did you not remember me telling you that as well?”

“He didn’t hurt me.  He kept other Alphas from touching me.  Even though I was powerless against mating in the middle of my heat he didn’t mate me.  I am still able to resist him today because he let me.  If I find the situation a little embarrassing, it’s a small price to pay for him saving my life.”

“He didn’t save your life!  Sam, he took-“

“Advantage?  And what if he did?  He’s an Alpha.  Not only that, he’s a King!”

“So what changed?”

Sam grimaced.  He was looking sicker by the minute, and his words took on an unfocused, dream-like tone as he spoke.  “He already has a Queen.  He’s married.  I felt like I owed him my friendship, or something…”  The words began to slur together.  “I thought he could help me find the Dark Lord… but he just wants to court me.  He’s relentless.  When Queen Lilith threatens to spay me, he just laughs.”

This sounded more like the careless youth Castiel remembered, willing to go to any length to get what he wanted.  Sam was in a truly dangerous position.  Displeasing either King or Queen could result in his death.

“I know it's wrong, Cas, but... you see my dilemma?”

Castiel gently pushed the sweat soaked hair away from Sam’s eyes.  He saw more than just Sam’s dilemma.  He saw the look of pure, heat-driven joy as the Omega looked up and saw Lucifer standing on the second level of the library, a predatory smile on his face.  The entire library smelled of Sam’s heat.  It must have been pouring through the hallways like an open invitations.  And there was blood on Lucifer’s shirt.

_How had he gotten inside?  How much had he heard?_

“You can’t do this, Lucifer-“ he started to say, tearfully begging his brother.

Lucifer cut him off by leaping the full distance between the upper and lower floors.  He might not have even seen the pregnant Omega as he stalked forward, with a wild, barely controlled look in his eyes.  “He’s _mine_.”

Castiel was terrified for Sam, but the Omega would not run with him.  The Omega was _crying out_ for the Alpha who looked like he had already killed a few people who stood in his way.  Castiel had to protect his child.  He had to run, with or without Sam.

But how could he leave his brother?  _Dean’s_ brother?

He had to protect Dean’s _child_.

Running was a terrible idea.  He managed to get almost to the other side of the library, almost managed to find peace and quiet again, when he felt a sharp pain between his legs and felt a rush of wet and warmth.  “No… not now… not now!”  Unable to intervene, and unable to run away, Castiel hid behind a book shelf and sobbed uncontrollably, completely ignored and unheard by both Alpha and Omega.

He whispered softly but desperately to the universe.  “Not yet, not yet.  You can’t try to come yet, baby.  I… I can’t take care of you by myself.  Dean?  Do you hear me wherever you are?  I can’t do this!  I can’t have this baby!  I can’t help Sam by myself.  He won’t _let me_!  I _need_ you.  What am I supposed to do?  What am I supposed to do _without you_?!  _How could you abandon me like this?!_ ”

Castiel had no idea how long he lay there or when he was finally moved and by whom.  His senses locked out everything around him, except for the life he was bringing into this world.  Minutes passed.  Perhaps hours, until finally unimaginable pain washed over him.  As the merciful darkness of unconsciousness claimed him, he dreamed he heard the sound of a Hunterland warhorn blowing in the far off distance.

And a baby cry.

 


	21. Wolves At the Door

By now, even from such a distance, Dean can see the toll his army's presence is taking on Lucifer's forces. The horns have been blowing unpredictably, a task left to Charlie to confuse their enemies and prevent them from sleeping for fear of the real attack. Which he does not send out. Not immediately. Not with the possibility of Castiel's safety hanging in the balance.

Truth is, Dean's Alpha is straining at its bonds to be released, but he needs more information. Raphael has been worryingly forthcoming with all kinds of helpful tales, but he does not bear the look of a trustworthy man. Nothing he says can be relied upon without corroboration.

Everything else is hidden behind the massive stone walls of the fortress, and they seem quite capable of holding their secrets. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, Dean would never believe such a work of man possible. How did mere mortals carve into the side of the mountain itself? Only the facade showed through the rock, but judging by the number of men standing atop the walls, hundreds or thousands of them could come pouring out of the place like ants at any moment. Tactically, it was brilliant. Both rear and flanks of the fortress were unassailable. The only weakness visible, if it could even be called that, was the highly defended walls extending out onto the open fields. And even that was more than twice the size of any wall his army had breached before.

"What is he waiting for...?" asked Benny, growing increasingly impatient as the first rays of sun crept over the horizon.

"He has the advantage, and is not keen on throwing it away." Both men slide their gaze to where Raphael sits pouting, his shrill voice rising up every so often to demand why they are just waiting out in the open. "We would do well not to underestimate the simpering fool. The Kings of Eden and Purgatory did not gain power by accident. They were well trained, and likely more educated than you and I will ever be. However much I dislike this lesser version of the brothers, he is Castiel's blood and I believe him to be no fool."

"What would you have us do?"

Dean's eyes scan the forces arrayed at his back. They are the same soldiers who fought back Raphael's forces - Lucifer's forces, if the dragon sigil on their armour meant anything - but they are only those who were present with him at the time. They were intending to attack the abbey, and did not expect great resistance. As such, the greater bulk of his army is still encamped closer to the shore. "If things go badly for us here, I do not want you to wait. You ride for the coast, with whatever men you need at your side. Do you understand?" Dean knows he does not need to provide an explicit explanation. Benny understands what is being asked of him.

"You wish to send me away? I belong at your side. My allegiance was sworn to the death-"

"-an oath I still intend to hold you to. I swore on the love I bear for Cas, that I would capture all of Eden as payment for his fate, and that of your wife... and countless others." He did not name Jess. Vengeance for her life was not his to claim, as the one who ended it. Even the weight of her name on his tongue was too much, and he found himself unable to summon it. "I have to take any chance I can to save him. But that does not mean I have to break my oath and shirk my responsibility to all these men. I have made promises to them as well. And to you. I need to ensure that the mission does not die with me tonight."

Benny considered this. He was not greatly pleased with the thought of running, if the battle turned, but neither was he a fool. If the battle could not be won, the war would still need fighting. "I will do as you command. I will not fail you."

Dean smiled and put a gloved hand, reassuringly, on his friend's shoulder. "Thank you. You have taken a great burden from my shoulders, and it will make what I have to do much easier."

A worried look crept onto Benny's face. "What exactly do you intend to do?"

"I need to get inside to get a better look... I want to get a measure of Lucifer, untainted by whatever game his brother is playing. I intend to offer a parlay, at which you will not be present."

"It is too great a risk..."

"I know.  But so is sending an army into a place so heavily fortified.  If we attack, we can't hold back.  We have to destroy every single person in that place, or we won't survive.  I can't do that without knowing for certain."

"That right there is the den of a dragon.  I don't like this plan, Dea- Your Majesty."

"I know..." Dean said softly.  Neither did he.

 

* * *

 

Pain radiated through his body, so overwhelming and unrelenting that it took a few moments of consciousness to understand where it even came from. His midsection was on fire. Both inside and out, between his legs and inside his belly where the baby must be-

Castiel's hands flew to his belly and he cried out in panic as he registered something different about it. It was no longer swollen, fit to burst liked over-stretched leather. Worse than that, he could not feel the pup. It did not kick against his hand, and when he spoke to it - begged it to show him a sign - it did not send reassuring waves of emotion through their connection. Tears immediately welled up and poured down his cheeks. He could hear the sound of anguished wailing, and barely understood that it came from his own mouth.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

Through the haze of grief, a tall armour-clad figure came into focus at the end of the bed. He did not wear a helmet, and his hands were clad in leather gloves, not gauntlets. It took a moment for Castiel to recognize Lucifer, and in his state, he could not understand what he was talking about.

"Castiel. Look at me. Calm yourself. This is what you're looking for." He sat at the edge of the bed and angled the bundle of blankets in his arms, unwrapping it slightly so that Castiel could scent what was safely tucked inside.

"Oh..." he said in a breathless sigh. It felt like his entire body was melting, shedding itself of the fear and grief and pain. Every sense shut out anything but the tiny, perfect being in front of him. The scent was so perfectly sweet, and comforting, and... perfect, that Castiel found himself at a loss for words.

"We haven't had a chance to speak since your arrival here. I... admit my feelings about your condition were uncertain. I was not prepared to see you as you were. And this morning the Healers presented me with this..."

Being physically separated from his child caused him near physical pain. His Omega senses demanded he reclaim what was his. "Please... let me hold my child. I... I don't even know-"

"A boy," Lucifer explained, without waiting for the question. "A little fair-haired Alpha, like some Northern barbarian changeling dropped into our lands..."

Castiel rankled at the words, but Lucifer's voice was soft and gentle. He couldn't help but look at the two together. It was striking. How many times had Michael said the same words to Lucifer, in teasing? Was that all there was to it, or did he somehow know the truth about who fathered his child?

His son.

A smile washed over Castiel's face and this time he ignored the pain and leaned over to take the small bundle from his brother. He laid it gently on the bed in front of him and slowly unwrapped the precious gift. Oh, but he was beautiful. The baby's features were impossibly tiny. Little perfect fingers, and fluttering eyelashes. Fair hair that was an earthy blond, nothing like the ethereal pale glow of his uncle's. In fact, Castiel's heart clenched painfully as he realized how much his son reminded him of Dean.

"Does he have a name?"

"I... I haven't given much thought to it, to be perfectly honest." How could he name Dean's son alone?

Without the infant in his arms, some of the sentimentality in Lucifer's expression leeched away. "He's the heir, you know? Michael's heir?" Castiel's eyes grew wide with confusion. "Michael was never any better at explaining these things than Father was. Why do you think your marriage was of such great importance? If Michael failed to produce any heirs, which years of campaigning far away from the bed of his Omega wife have practically ensured, then the succession would fall to male Alpha heirs of your bloodline. Ahead of me, of course. Because why not leave the kingdom to a squalling infant, rather than a King and General who has proved himself Michael's equal, if not his better?"

The bitterness in his voice alarmed Castiel, and he scooped his son up from the bed and held him close. He began to plan what it would take to run with the child, if Lucifer intended to harm him... which is when he discovered even that small movement caused agonizing pain between his legs. Blood and slick began to seep through the bedding. Lucifer wrinkled his nose and stood quickly.

"Lovely. They told me you had to be ripped open to free the child, but I have no wish to see it first hand. Let us be clear about something, you are an unwed Omega with a bastard, and I'm not yet certain whether that will have any impact on the succession. Until then, this child is under my protection." Castiel flinched at the word protection, said more like he meant property. "There is too much competing for my attention right now, so I am ordering you to remain in this room until I come for you. My Omega has duties to perform, so you will keep my dear wife company." He smiled at the distinction between his Omega lover and Omega wife. "In short, until the battle is over, I'm keeping all my eggs in one basket and close at hand, and I better not be short any when I return."

An entire squadron of guards, with cloths wrapped around their faces, led a frosty-eyed Lilith into the room and deposited her in a chair. Two of them carried a barely conscious, shivering Sam between them, but remained out in the hall as if his destination was elsewhere.

"The wolves' leader has requested a parlay, and I'm curious to find out the game he's playing." The words were directed at the guards, but his gaze slid over to Lilith. She sat fuming, but said nothing. "My wife will help see to the care of Eden's heir, and you brother, will ensure she behaves herself."

As he exited the room, Abaddon intercepted him whispering, "The First Blade awaits you in the war room." Then the lot of them were gone, and the door secured behind them.

"So this is the upstart bastard who thinks he can usurp my husband's position as next High King..." Lilith's presence was more terrifying than even Lucifer's. "Better he had never been born."

Castiel winced, remembering the words 'ripped open' and how vulnerable he and his child were against the angry Queen. He held his son tight and prayed to the God of Eden, and the gods of the Hunterlands for mercy.

 

* * *

 

Sam felt nothing but burning. Fire scorched through his veins, and across his skin, and deep inside him in a place that could never be quenched. Miscellaneous, faceless soldiers he could never focus on moved him like a sack of potatoes, hauling him through what felt like miles of hallways. He thought at one point he even scented Castiel and something else that seemed important, but then there was Lucifer and the need overtook him again.

Lucifer was his Alpha, and his Alpha took care of him. Took such good care of him all through the night. But he must have done something wrong, because he still needed his Alpha, but his attention was elsewhere. Sam would have to change that. Would have to remind him of his duty.

He hated the way he was. The soldiers dragged him up the stairs and deposited him at the foot of the throne. It was completely, utterly humiliating before the entire court, and all Sam could do was whimper and rest his head against Lucifer's knee, rubbing his face closer to the promise of relief until Lucifer hissed sharply and cuffed him behind the ear.

"Not. Yet. We have guests. If you be a good little boy and play your part to throw this barbarian off with that delectable scent he cannot have, then I promise I will take care of you the moment I am done with him." He touched Sam's cheek and the contact is all it took to send warmth radiating through his body.

Sam smiled gratefully, and shifted his position so that he sat between Lucifer's legs. He rearranged his limbs,posing wantonly as he waited for this foreign Alpha, who was not his Alpha. Who was keeping his Alpha from taking care of him. He hated him already.

When the barbarian delegation entered, the courtiers gasped and murmured loudly to each other as if the very sight of them was too shocking to contemplate. Sam let out a choked sob, and stood unsteadily. Even his heat couldn't distract him from the fact that it was a ghost walking towards the throne.

He looked more imposing and regal than Sam remembered. It was hard to tell whether that was due to an actual change in stature, or the effect of the large wolf pelt draped over his head and shoulders.

"You're dead..." Sam murmured. In his right mind he would never have laid his cards bare before Lucifer in this way, but it was unmistakable that he recognized the barbarian leader, and his presence held some importance to him.

Lucifer stood up quickly and wrapped a territorial arm about his waist, pulling him close. "Who's dead. Who is this, Sam?" he whispered softly.

"My brother..."

The hiss just behind his ear sent tremors through his body, and Lucifer's grip tightened. "So not just a pretty barbarian spy then, are you? Interesting..." They remained standing like that until the envoy arranged themselves in front of the throne. Each warrior stood proud, knees unbent. The great wolf took a step forward at the sight of Sam, and he felt tears flowing down his face.

"What mischief is this?" the wolf demanded.

Lucifer's smile did not reach his eyes. "It looks like you and I have a lot more in common than I previously thought. This is my Omega, who couldn't bear to be torn from my side as he suffers through his heat. You've interrupted us, so if you could kindly make this quick...?"

"Sam?" The voice was not that of a King. Not that of a warrior with the spirit of a wolf. It was his brother.

He found he had no voice. Lucifer put a calming had on his neck, and the Omega in heat took over his thoughts again.

"I don't know what game this is, but I have no quarrel with you."

"Mm, of course. No quarrel. Made abundantly clear by the army you brought along with you."

"Of course. I don't know you. I don't trust you. But we can perhaps help each other. I have in my care, a man who claims he is Prince Raphael. A brother of yours, I believe. I am here to offer a trade. Your brother for mine, and information about my Omega."

Lucifer's eyebrow raised at that. He was prepared for the demand for Sam, once the wolf started down that line of negotiation, but an Omega? What Omega? He looked at Sam, and it dawned on him.

"Who is your Omega?"

"Castiel of the House of Eden."

"So in truth, the trade you offer is to give me my brother, and in return I just hand over yet another brother and my own Omega? Too bad I have no idea what you are talking about. I haven't seen my brother for years!" Lucifer snarled, and Sam could not understand why he was lying. Until he remembered the child Castiel carried. Oh, but Dean didn't know...!

"Dean, Cas is alive! He's here-"

A sudden, sharp pain against the side of his head had him reeling. Lucifer had hit him with a gauntlet covered hand, swearing loudly at his outburst. The world started spinning. The room burst into noise. Everything around him was shouting, and swords being drawn.

Despite the explosion of sound and action around them, the two Alphas were focused in on each other.

"My troops are ready to attack, if you prove untrustworthy and unwilling to negotiate," said Dean.

"I'm afraid I'm merely unwilling to capitulate to such insulting terms. To a barbarian who dares invade my lands and hold my brother hostage. I will give you nothing. Not Sam, and not Castiel."

"He is alive then, and here as Sam said?"

"You'll never know. You're going to die right here in this hall... and outside? The First Blade is already razing your army to the ground with a demon army, just itching to taste blood. I'm going to keep your brother as my whore, and Castiel will watch his kidnappers bleed to death on the fields of Purgatory. And as for his rapist? You will suffer most of all. I have a special fate planned for you, little King, one that will make you wish you never set foot on my land."

Sam inched backwards in horror and could only watch as the small group of Hunterland warriors and seemingly endless numbers of guards battle around the edges of the room... and in the middle, the two Kings let loose their barely contained Alphas. They were going to rip each other apart.

Nothing could stand against an Alpha whose mate was threatened... but Sam had to try. He had to make them see sense. He couldn't lose his Alpha, or the brother he just got back from the dead.

Minutes went by, or hours perhaps. It was hard to tell as each moment looked like the next. More screams. More bodies piled on the glistening floor, slick with blood. Both Dean and Lucifer would shove him aside if he got too close, unwilling to see him harmed.

He was useless, only able to feebly sob and protest from a distance.

"All of this... because of you?" Lilith's voice was nearly drowned out completely, but Sam turned at the sound. To his horror, she seemed to have convinced a guard to drag Castiel, still bleeding and clutching a crying baby, out into the carnage. "LUCIFER?!"

Sam saw Dean and Castiel's eyes lock in confusion just seconds before Lucifer smiled triumphantly at his wife. Dean was in shock, and stood dumbfounded long enough for Lucifer to push Sam into the arms of a waiting guard and to grab Castiel and put a knife to his throat.

"Lay down your arms. Not just you, every barbarian. I may not be willing to sacrifice my Omega, but yours... yours has already given Eden what it needs. Lilith, take the child. And you, pretender to a pointless throne. Let me see you kneel."

Sam knew the sight of Castiel with a blade pressed to his throat... having a baby ripped from his arms, was too much for his brother, even in his Alpha state. The Alpha would not think twice of laying its own life down to protect its mate and child, but it could not risk their lives.

Lucifer smiled as he watched the wolf grudgingly kneel.


	22. More Questions Than Answers

After the chaos of battle, the First Blade looked forward to the relative peace and quiet of the Morningstar’s fortress.They were both men of many names, but their tentative peace was writ in blood and based on the understanding that Cain could provide the unstoppable army Lucifer's ambition demanded, and in return...

Cain was starting to doubt Lucifer's ability to keep up his end of the bargain, but that was a worry for another day entirely.This day's worry had to do with the palpable fear laying like a heavy fog inside the fortress.It had the feel of something terrible, but there was no sign of attack or disaster.

"You there!" Cain called to a servant boy ducking his way through the dimly lit corridors.His quick eyes were used to darkness, and he spotted the yellow rose embroidered on the boy's tunic.One of Lilith's creatures."What has happened here?Why does it feel as if Death himself walked these hallways?"

The boy hesitated, unable to look the nobleman in the eye.He licked his lips nervously."My Lord?"

Cain stepped forward briskly and grabbed the boy by the collar."I am in no mood for these games.Do you know who I am?"

"Aye, Sir.The First Blade.King Lucifer's chosen man."

"Good.Then you know even your Mistress will not be able to protect you if your answer does not please me. Do not make me ask a second time."

Tears began to fill the boy's eyes."It was terrible.I should have listened to my master when he told me to see to my duties and not linger.But they said a great barbarian warrior was to pay tribute to the King, and I wanted to see-".He flinched as Cain cleared his throat in irritation."Um.Something went wrong.There was a man with a baby, and the barbarian all but lost his mind.King Lucifer was the only one strong enough to fight him, but he chose to win by the strength of his wits, just as the Mistress says.He used the man and the baby, and the barbarian surrendered."

"Is that all?I would imagine nothing less than a great celebration after such a glorious victory for the King.What are you not telling me?"

The boy looked around suspiciously, only turning back when he was satisfied."The man with the baby... The King granted her ownership of the baby, and its mother.Well.He was not happy."

With his work keeping him isolated and trapped in darkness, Cain valued relevant information as he valued oxygen itself.He knew one of Lucifer's brothers, a rarely mentioned prince, arrived some time ago.That he was with child.Even without seeing it directly, Cain felt a warmth in his heart at the knowledge that among all the death and pain surrounding him, there was a singular hope.Life.Perhaps there were other infants within the fortress walls who would draw the King's attention, but Cain's instincts said otherwise.He was one of a few who knew the truth about Michael and Lucifer's great military successes.One of the few who knew the significance of an Omega of their bloodline bearing a pup.

"Oh, Lucifer..." he murmured under his breath, "What have you done?"

"It was not the King, my Lord.I saw it myself.The baby's mother screamed so loudly every window in the great hall shattered into a thousand pieces, and when he laid hands on the guards a great white light burned their very souls from within their bodies.  He was terrifying!  He radiated this golden light and I swear he had wings!  I've never seen such power!"

"None of us have.But if what you say is true, perhaps it is time I take a further interest in this Castiel..."

 

* * *

 

Lilith let out an embarrassing squeal as the curtains around her bed were drawn back.She pulled the sheets up in front of her face and whimpered."Please don't hurt me."

"I'm not here to hurt you.But you are going to help me."A man's face came into view.One of those who had the trust and confidence of her husband, which always seemed to be denied her, his wife.She recognized his face from Lucifer’s War Room.

"I am the Queen.I will do nothing of the sort."She put on her best face, but deep down she knew all her power was for show.If Lucifer did not respect her, how could she expect any of his people to?"My husband will hear of this!"To her great displeasure, the man grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out of the bed entirely.She fell to the floor trying to clutch the sheets protectively.Damn Lucifer!Her marriage to him was supposed to be the happiest moment of her life.What was the point if it didn't spare her from such humiliations?

"I certainly hope so.Speaking to the King is very high on my list of priorities, but first I have one more thing to take care of.I understand you've had some very important charges put under your protection?"

Lilith sneered."Important?Important?!My husband should have crushed that squalling infant beneath his boot before anyone knew it existed.My child will be the heir!Do you hear me?"

As she came to herself, she realized her outburst was far too loud and large for such a small room.It was not becoming of a Queen - and worse, her small audience seemed to know it.

"I told you already, I am not here to hurt you, but neither will I fight you.You will do plenty to destroy yourself without me, it seems.But before you do, you will take me to them."

Before the protest could properly form in her throat, the man gestured and two guards stepped forward.Her guards.Only now they treated this man's orders as if they came from her or the King himself.The realization sent a cold shiver through her body.They were only rumours, but it was said only one man wielded such power.Lilith tried to maintain her dignity as she strategically changed position.

"You are the First Blade, then?You are the Lord of Darkness, as the servants fear?What have you done to my men?"

It was unmistakeable now.Lucifer would never include her in any plans of such great importance, but Lilith was no fool.She saw and heard far more than he would ever give her credit for, and like any good Lady of the House, she knew the worth of servant's gossip.

"The... Lord of Darkness?”A flicker of amusement crossed his face.“I serve the King and command his armies, that is far more important for you to know than old wives’ tales.And I have done nothing to your men.They are just clever enough to sort out who they serve, when faced with the choice of obeying your orders or mine.Worry not.They will be returned to you in due course.Provided you do not make this more difficult than needs be..."

Lilith did not have the skill to see if he was telling the truth.The men did not reveal eyes as black as demon’s souls, so she did what any well-bred lady would do.She pulled together as much dignity as she could muster, put on a fine dress, and let the man who insulted her believe he won and was in control of the situation.

For the time being.

Perhaps his curiosity about Lucifer's whore of a brother would dislodge some information she would find useful for herself...

 

* * *

 

Castiel was being kept in the highest room, in the tallest tower.It was a little too poetic for Cain’s liking, but he could see how it appealed to Lucifer.Lilith was surprised to see her own guards had been relieved, in favour of soldiers chosen by the King himself.She seemed confused as to where he found the time to see to such mundane matters, but Cain knew better.Lucifer only appeared to be frivolous and easily distracted by pleasure, if it served his purposes.He would not trust the protection of something so precious and important to Lilith’s ability to act as a true Queen.

Lilith dallied by the stairway when they finally arrived, and Cain realized they were all afraid.He entered the room by himself.

The sight that greeted him was both painfully sweet and terrifying.At first, the darkness greeted him with only the slimmest sliver of moonlight peering through the high window.He could see a large shadow in the centre of the room, which turned out to be a massive pile of pillows and blankets.It reminded him of childish games, playing at secret worlds to defend by turning ordinary household objects into a fortress.A pang of sorrow clutched at his heart, only made worse by the smell of grief and sorrow coming off the Omega.

This was no childish game.It was… a nest.

“My Prince…?” he called softly, so gently it was barely above a whisper.“Can you hear me?”

A soft shuffling sound came from within the nest, and then silence.Cain guessed he startled the Omega, but it was afraid.

“He won’t come out.Not for anyone,” said a voice from a corner of the room.Cain turned to see a fair haired man, wearing the insignia of Michael’s army sitting at a rickety little table, with his sword lying across his knees.

The threat was obvious.If Cain was here to harm the Prince, he would get at least one taste of that steel.Instead, he held out his hands, palm upwards in a gesture of peace, and took a seat across from the man.

“My name is Cain.”

The man’s eyes grew wide.“The First Blade.They say more men have died at the edge of your blade than any other soldier in history.Is that true?”

Cain had to close his eyes against the flood of bloody memories that washed over his mind, slamming that door shut before it threatened to consume him.“Too many…” he said, agreeing but not confirming the truth.It was enough for the man to tighten his grip on his sword.Readying.“I am not here to hurt anyone.I’m here to help.”

“Help?” the man scoffed.“I should never have agreed to bring him here.I knew in my gut we should have ridden straight for the High King’s lands and sought his protection.Now look what a mess we’re in.”

“What is your name, soldier?”

“Balthazar.Of the-“His training would have him spit out his regiment and rank, but there was no trust left in his eyes.“I serve the High King, his brother, Prince Castiel, and the infant Heir Apparent are under his protection and mine.”

Cain looked over at the nest, which moved slightly at the words.Though he could not see anyone inside, he knew they were being carefully watched and listened to.

“Castiel…” he repeated softly.Then, speaking at a normal volume he addressed his words to Balthazar, knowing he would not be the only one to hear them.“I understand there was a… strange occurrence during the King’s audience.I need to understand more about it, if I’m to help.”

“We don’t need your help-“ Balthazar protested, but Cain kept right on talking.

“You see, I fear the Royal Family of Eden has done quite a good job of passing down its lineage from Alpha father to Alpha son.That’s all very well and good, but they were not counting on the old King marrying the daughter of a very old, very powerful pagan family.The Queen had many secrets of her own, secrets that should have been passed down from Omega mother to Omega son… but that neverquite happened the way it was supposed to.”

“How would you know such things, if she never passed on any of these secrets to her own sons?” asked Balthazar, suspiciously.“This seems like a rather tall tale.”

However, from the corner of his eye Cain could see the pillows and blankets shift.A hand was gently pushing them aside.Cain was shocked to see Castiel emerge from the nest, still surrounded by white fluffy… feathers?Yes, feathers.It looked as if the Omega was carefully enveloped by the wings of a great white bird, taller than a man.

“What-?” he started to say.  The words of the servant boy came to him.  Radiant golden light, and  _wings_.  God save them.

“What you say of my mother is true,” Castiel said, without lifting his eyes from where they focused inwards toward his chest.“I know so little about her, and being the youngest I had the least amount of time with her.She never had the chance to guide me in my role as an Omega like my father did for my brothers as Alphas.I feel so lost… I need to see Dean.Please… can you help me?”

Cain put aside his questions about the very strange sight before him, knowing he had a brief window of opportunity to win the Prince over.“I want to try.Will you hear me first?”Castiel nodded slowly, and Cain began to explain.“When I first met your brother, he was looking for answers about your mother too.It turns out it was an obsession of your father’s, which he has since passed down to his sons.Both Michael and Lucifer have spent entire military campaigns in service to this mission.Long after your father… disappeared, they continue the search.In fact, it was what first brought me into his circle.Lucifer found me in… desperate circumstances, and made me an offer I was not able to refuse.”

“And somehow you ended up with an army of demons that razes the countryside?” scoffed Balthazar.

Cain winced at the harsh truth of that statement.“It was not my intention when I began, I swear to you.The scarce knowledge I was able to obtain, led me through the deepest pits of Purgatory and across the frozen wastelands of the Hunterlands.Your mother’s people worked very hard to bury the truth.If I had known then, what I know now, I would have let it all lay buried too.”

“I don’t understand…” said Castiel.A small cry came from his arms and his focus shifted to tend to it, until he was able to quiet it.“What were they trying to protect?What has this to do with my family?”

“I found a door in the mountainside.The very one we sit upon right now.A magically sealed door that could only be opened by a magic key known as the First Blade, and a member of your mother’s bloodline.There was a heavy price to open the door.One neither of us would have paid, had we known…”Cain rolled up his sleeve and showed Castiel a mark which was branded into the flesh of his forearm.Though it was no recent wound, it remained red and raw.A wound that would never heal, like so many he bore that could not be seen etched into skin.

“Wait, I thought you were called the First Blade because of all your kills in battle?”Balthazar asked, repeating one of many rumours that tried to explain the moniker.

“This mark can only be taken, never given.At the time I… procured it, it was the first time I ever had another human being’s blood on my hands.No, becoming the First Blade was what started a lifetime of blood on my hands, not the other way around.This mark just makes it so that I cannot lose in combat.I can face a single man, or a thousand, and come out victorious.”

Fear flashed across Castiel’s face, and he looked out towards the night sky.“Does that mean… Dean and his army?”

“No.If they had stood and tried to take the fortress, they would certainly have died, but some strange wisdom or perhaps cowardice had them retreat too far for me to follow at this time.”

“And Dean?”

Cain let out a huff of frustration, desperately needing Castiel to understand the truth of the situation but irritatingly aware the Omega’s attention would not refocus as long as waves of grief surrounded him at the thought of his lost mate.However unintentional, reminding him of Dean had been a mistake.  And now time was running out.

“If I take you to see him, will you agree to listen to what I have to tell you.Will you promise to help me?”

Castiel looked overjoyed, completely oblivious to the danger of making such a promise without knowing the terms of the agreement.“Yes!I’ll do anything to see him.Please…”

“Come then.Find a cloak for him to wear, one with a hood to hide his face.And for God’s sake keep that child quiet!”

 

* * *

 

Castiel felt completely exhausted and overwhelmed.Too much was happening too quickly, and he found himself quite unable to keep up.For now, all he could reliably focus on was his infant son and his mate.

The first was swaddled in one blanket and wrapped securely across his chest with another.He felt like a walking pile of curtains with all the fabric he was draped in, but if it kept his son safe and gave him the opportunity to see Dean, it was entirely worth it.Apparently his newfound magic powers - _magic powers_ \- agreed, because the mass of feathers disappeared itself as quickly as it came in the first place.

It still all felt like a dream.

Something was unlocked within him now.In truth, he felt it growing along with the pup in his belly, but the moment he first held his son in his arms, something changed forever.Apparently it involved the ability to smite anyone who threatened his pup, which made him feel powerful.The feathers were still confusing.

He was not sure if he could trust Cain.The man seemed genuinely concerned, and willing to help.He openly offered to take Castiel to his mate, without asking for anything first.Well, there was that promise, but Lucifer would have made his demands up front.The stories he told seemed disjointed, and a little more terrifying than Castiel truly cared for, but there was a grain of truth in them.The more he spoke, the more memories sparked and threatened to wake.For now, all Castiel had was the realization that most of the portraits of his mother, hung reverently in Michael’s palace, featured her with a great set of white wings at her back.Purely symbolic, he had assumed or had once been told.It represented that she had passed on from this life and was at peace.But now he wondered.

“Are you certain you wish to take the pup in with you?I could care for him while you-“ Standing at the entrance to the dungeon, Balthazar clearly meant well, but his words brought a warning growl from Castiel.“You were too far gone to see how wild he was.His Alpha had fully taken over, he was pure rage and instinct.It might not be safe-“

“No one takes my son from me,” Castiel said plainly.Never again.

For his part, Cain never suggested anything of the sort.The man held a terrifying focus, and at that moment it was placed entirely on getting Castiel to his mate.

A shiver of pleasure went up his spine at the thought.

“They’ve secured him to the back wall with chains.He won’t be able to move, in case he’s not quite in his right mind.I would be careful with the pup, in any case.Balthazar and I will wait here.You have maybe an hour or two at most.I have a feeling Lilith is already causing trouble on your account.”

Castiel nodded and took the torch one of the guards held out to him.He couldn’t help but notice the way the man’s hand shook, and he felt like a monster for a brief moment.He had no choice.He had to protect his pup.

Leaning down and breathing in the sweet scent of the child in his arms, he took courage and entered the terrifyingly dark cell.Shadows seemed to dance in all corners, encouraged by the torch in his hands, and when he first laid eyes on the figure chained to the back wall, he nearly screamed in terror.

“Dean…?” he whispered, barely able to believe.

There was no response from the figure, but as he got closer, he could see it was certainly Dean himself.There was just… something wrong about him.Something hard and angry and dark.Something dangerous.

“Dean, it’s me.It’s Castiel.Oh, my love it’s been too long!”With that he rushed forward, placing the torch in a holder on the wall so he could run to his mate.Dean was nearly naked, stripped to the waist with his clothes in tatters.His normally neatly clipped hair, which he took great pride in, had grown long and over his shoulders, giving him a truly wild appearance.“What has happened to you, my love?”

The figure lifted its head as if it weighed more than it could bear, and green eyes peered out from the darkness and caught the breath in Castiel’s throat.Those beautiful green eyes.

“You… you’re a ghost.You died.I wanted you to be alive so badly but, the mating mark faded.It died…”

The voice sounded strangely gruff and distant, but Castiel choked up at it nonetheless.“No, I’m here.I’m real.I don’t know what happened to break the mating marks, but I’ve never stopped loving you.”

He was nearly within arm’s reach, when a dangerous growl sounded from the figure and it lashed out with a fury that sent Castiel sprawling on the ground.

“YOU’RE NOT REAL!” Dean roared.In the firelight, his handsome features looked monstrous, and his jaws snapped viciously, sending spittle flying on Castiel’s face.

The pup began to wail in fear, and the sound made Castiel himself begin to sob.“What have they done to you?This isn’t you…”For the first time he realized that even Dean’s smell was not right.His scent was overwhelmingly fear and grief, rage and hate.Not even the sight of Castiel changed that.“How can we live without you?”

Dean went silent, startled by the sound of the infant wailing.“There was a pup before… the other Alpha claimed it as his own but you fought for it.”

“Yes…” said Castiel tearfully.“Of course I did.It was my pup, _ours_.How can you not believe that even now?”He threw off the cloak and struggled to untie the blanket securing the baby to his chest.Castiel even removed the blanket swaddling the child, until it kicked its tiny legs into the cold, damp air.He was terrified of what would happen if the Alpha did not recognize the child as his own, but he had to try.“This is your son…”

He held the squirming pup just below Dean’s face, and nearly shrieked in terror as his mate began to growl.But then.Then!Dean leaned forward and began to sniff curiously at the pup.As Castiel held him closer, Dean began to scent the infant’s tiny neck and all around his head.Castiel had tears in his eyes when he realized the baby had stopped crying and was scenting his father.

They knew each other!

“This is your child…” Dean said slowly, and then even more carefully.“This is my child…”

“Yes!” Castiel laughed through his tears.“He’s ours.And he’s perfect!”

“How is this possible?They said you would never bear a child… we tried.We _tried_!”

“I don’t know.All I know is that the last time I saw you, I was carrying your child.So much happened since we were parted.So many terrible things,” he choked on the words, unable to tell Dean all that he did to survive.“But he’s alive and healthy.And I found you again!I won’t ever let either of you go, ever again.Let anyone try, I’ll kill them with my bare hands!”

Dean chuckled lightly, but the sound of his voice still wasn’t quite right.Instead of looking at his son, he had a wild, unfocused look in his eyes as he investigated him by mostly scent.

“What happened to you?”

“The Alpha.It’s been looking for you longer than I have.It knew it had to find you, even when I wanted to believe you were dead so that it might stop hurting so much.I can’t control it.Even when I’m just me, I can see it looking through my eyes.Listening.When I fight, it takes over entirely now.”

Castiel blinked back his tears and pressed into the warmth of Dean’s body.The pup snuffled happily, pressed gently between them.“You’re still mine.I don’t care about the mating bites or the Alpha.You belong to me, and we belong to you.I love you and nothing else matters.”He pressed his lips against Dean’s fervently, and for a moment, time stood still as they kissed.

When they finally parted, they were both silent, leaning their body weight together.Holding their little family together with the strength of nothing more than their love for each other.

“What did you name him?” asked Dean.

Cas laughed lightly and bit his lip.“I’ve had him taken away twice from me since he was born, barely a day ago-“ Dean growled and Cas had to place a gentle kiss to his lips to reassure him all was still well, before he could continue.“It won’t happen again, not now that I’ve somehow developed magic powers.”He laughed at the look on Dean’s face, knowing exactly how it sounded.“I'm terrified of what it means too, so I'm trying not to thing of it for now.  The point is, it’s been enough that he’s safe in my arms, and it’s been hard work keeping him that way.I barely had time to think of it.Now that we’re together, it only seems right that he is given a name by his own Alpha.”

Dean nuzzled the pup’s cheek, taking in a deep breath of his sweet scent.He smiled.“Then his name shall be Henry Winchester.After my father’s father.Unless you had a name of your own?Tradition usually dictates a name be passed down from father to son, but Sam and I were both named for my mother’s people.”

Castiel shook his head, already enamoured with the idea that his son had a name.“The more I find out about my people, the less I want to know.It’s bad enough he’s Michael’s heir.I don’t want my family laying any more claim to him.”

Another growl from Dean had Castiel kissing him softly to bring his focus back to the moment and away from thoughts of permanently denying his family a claim to their son.He shared Dean’s fear, so he could hardly blame him.“None of my brothers have children, so Michael’s crown will fall to any children of my body.”

“Bullshit.He’s a Winchester!I’m a King now myself, and I will give him a crown of his own.”

“I know,” Castiel smiled.“You’ll have to tell me some day how you managed to become King.”

“It’s not much of a story.I killed whoever stood in the way of my getting to you.”

Castiel could feel the smooth rumble of Dean’s laughter as he pressed up against him.He wished the chains didn’t bind him so tightly, so that he could hold his son… so that he could hold Castiel.But it was hard to be angry when they were all together and, for the moment, happy.When his son had a father, and an Alpha, and a name.

Henry.Henry Winchester.

As they spoke softly together, catching each other up on the months apart, and the wars, and everything else that happened while they were separated, Castiel kept repeating his son’s name to himself and smiling.

Henry fell asleep, nestled between them, and as time wore on, Castiel himself curled against the solid warmth of Dean's chest and slept more peacefully than he had in almost a year.

He did not notice that Cain did not come back for him that night, and if he did, he was not about to complain.


	23. Creature of the Darkness

Returning to her chambers after her encounter with Cain, Lilith could not help but dwell on how it was just one of the many indignities she was forced to bear.

One of the first was the humiliating dismissal of her loyal handmaidens, when she was still a wide eyed young bride. Lucifer knew that that in her lands, the parents of a wealthy girl would spare no expense in procuring worthy girls to be companions to their Omega daughter in childhood. They learned to love their mistress as a friend, and grew to serve in her household when she herself grew ripe for marriage. It was a blessed foresight. A small assurance of comfort and safety for a young bride, as she left all she knew to live forever among strangers in a foreign land.

Lilith had not known then of the cruelty that lay behind the handsome features of her betrothed. After many months preparing herself each night for the visit to her marriage bed that never came, she grew angry. Was she not a true prize, worthy of a Prince of Eden? Did they not both bear the responsibility of bringing and heir into the world? Lucifer was cold and distant, yes, but she believed then that he would come to see the need if she just put it to him the right way.

She was wrong.

Something dark lay in Lucifer, and she unleashed it the night she crawled into his bed in full heat, instead of waiting for him to come to hers. That very night, he dragged his Queen in front of sleepy eyed courtiers so they could stand witness as her beautiful golden hair was shorn. She was certain the only reason he did not kill her that very night, was because Cain stopped him.  Humiliated and unable to show her face in polite society, she welcomed the isolation of her locked private chambers where she could suffer through her heat alone in dark and pain. When her handmaidens tried to bring some comfort to her in that dark time, Lucifer had every one of them exiled. And in a twist of heartless fate, she was grateful he did not have them killed instead.

“OW! Cease your torture, you oafish brute of a thing!” Lilith felt an unpleasant pull and snatched the comb from the servant girl’s hands. When she did not run fast enough, the Queen threw it at her head so hard it sent the girl sprawling on the floor. She might have been pitiful in that state, were it not the only service she could offer her great Mistress. With no training in any particularly useful skill, the hopelessly clumsy, mousey little creature who was sent to replace her trusted companions only served as a daily reminder of her husband’s cruelty and the hate she bore for him instead of a child. “Is your aim to tear my beautiful hair from the root? Do you wish to mar the one thing I still have pride in after all these years? Curse you for your faithlessness!”

Lilith snapped her fingers in the direction of the far table, and the girl let out a whimper but rushed to pick up her Mistress’ riding crop. She rightly assumed that any further delay would only increase the punishment due her.  “There, there,” said the Queen, accepting the crop and using it to stroke the girl’s cheek. What use is there in crying? Fate has no pity for such as you and I.” How unpleasant this girl was, sobbing openly as she clutched the bloodied comb. Lilith felt her blood boil at the sight of it, remembering her humiliation at the hands of the great Prince of Eden.

Her eyes touched upon the silver dagger resting at her bedside. It was a wedding gift from her thoughtless husband, one she hoped to someday use on the bastard himself when her life no longer depended on him.  
She did not wait for the girl’s hysterics this time. Lilith strode across the room and picked up the dagger in a fit of rage. The girl’s hair came away in thick handfuls of ratty brown curls, and for once the pitiful creature knew to make sure her misery was of the silent kind.  When she was done, Lilith coldly told the girl to get out of her sight. She barely noticed as the door shut, leaving her alone with her rage.

The dagger glinted in her hands and, not for the first time, Lilith wished she were a man so that she might feed its glinting edge to her enemies. Even if she could not kill Lucifer, there were so many that deserved it’s bite.

Perhaps none more than the wanton little Omega bitch Lucifer had taken to his bed. Her face reddened as she thought of how brazenly he let his eyes wander over the man. The way he shamelessly flirted and courted and showered the foreigner with affection and gifts. How he was right now defiling their marriage by taking Sam Winchester into their marriage bed. The idea that he might beget a child through such a heresy made her scream.

When her voice grew hoarse, she was silent once more and contemplated the dagger in her hands.

 

* * *

 

  
Crazed with grief and beyond her senses, Lilith walked the halls of Lucifer’s fortress in her white nightdress. Her face was deathly pale, her feet were bare, and her golden hair splayed behind her like a mad woman’s. Those who saw her that night did not recognize their Queen, but would forever believe a vengeful ghost walked among the living that night. They quickly averted their eyes and fled.

Lilith’s knuckles were white as she grasped the dagger at her side. Her rage could have torn through a dozen men that night, but this was not about destroying the hateful prison she called home. It was about using her advantage as the forgotten Queen to reach between the plates of her husband’s armour and twist her dagger into his heart.  She did not approach the guards, but took a servant’s passageway instead, which led to a hidden entrance behind a bookcase in the King’s chambers.

It was not the first time she had waited there, tears streaming down her face as she sat helplessly with the knowledge that Lucifer was perfectly willing to bed pretty Omegas. Just not… her.

Now he spoke pretty words to the man in his bed. She watched for hours as he spent the night making love to him, easing him through his heat the way he should have done for her. When the two of them were spent, he held the Omega until he drifted off to sleep, and went to see to the sheets, and food, and water were replenished.

Lilith did not immediately move. She had unwittingly placed her free hand across the blade and squeezed so tight it drew blood.  When she finally found herself able to move, she walked out into the moonlit room on silently padding bare feet. The air was sickeningly heavy with post-coital scent, and with each breath her heart shuddered with pain and and she exhaled hate and purpose.

Sam was tall and strong.  She was no match for the warrior, but in the middle of a heat he could barely lift his own head at times. And this was one such time. He was spent, and exhausted. There was too great a risk to let any foreign Alphas or Betas near a claimed Omega in heat, and so the guards would have orders not the enter the room on pain of death.  There was little chance the two of them would be interrupted until Lucifer returned. Lilith sat at the edge of Sam’s bed and pushed aside his damp hair with her fingers.

“What does he see in you?” she whispered, brokenly. “What do you give him that I cannot? Why could you not tell me instead of taking him from me?”

Sam did not answer. He did not need to answer.

Tears were streaming down her face as she turned and placed her hand over the smooth, flat muscles of his abdomen. In her delirium she felt a flutter of movement.

In her heart, she believed it to be a child. The end of her suffering, perhaps, but nonetheless the one thing she feared most in the world. If another Omega was to bear his child, what need would he have of her? What possible reason would Lucifer have to give her the few meagre trappings of Queenship, when he could give those to his chosen Omega and their bastard child?

Her hand closed over the dagger and she choked back a sob. For an Omega so desperate for a child herself, the thought of what she was about to do horrified her so deeply to her core that she knew she would not be able to live with herself.

She closed her eyes and struck a blow against the threat that was trying to consume her whole.

 

* * *

  
Lucifer’s arms were laden with baskets of succulent fruits, savoury meats and cheeses. The servants had already been sent for to clear the sheets. It was important to Lucifer that his mate not wake in discomfort. He loved the look on Sam’s face each morning as he looked about him in confusion and then relaxed into his Alpha’s arms.

As he worked, a twitching, scuttling creature emerged from the darkness. He did not recognize it, but at one time it must have been a homely looking girl. She had clearly been caught trying to avoid his attention altogether.

“Your Highness,” she said, curtseying clumsily.

Odd. Servants bowed, not curtseyed. Such an affectation reminded him of those Lilith’s creatures brought with them from their barbarian lands. Of course, that’s where he recognized the girl from. She was one of Lilith’s creatures. What a horrid, ugly looking thing. And with patchy hair shorn so short she would have been better off bald altogether.

He offered her a smile and an apple, which she gratefully took. A struggle seemed to take place within her, between loyalty to her Mistress and to the unexpected kindness of her Master. When she made up her mind, she stared the King straight in the eye.

“The Queen was in a rage. She sent me away, but Sir, I fear that tonight someone who has wronged her will lose their life. Please, take care.”

Lucifer’s blood ran cold. He was not, of course, afraid for himself. Instead he had only one fear that set a war drum beating in his head.

Sam was in danger.

The guards gave him a wide berth as he approached the door. They saw the fire in his eyes and did not want to be seen as a threat or competition when the King was in heat. They knew he would kill them in a heartbeat.  
But he was not interested in their panic.

Upon entering his bedchamber, Lucifer saw the horrific scene unfold before him. Lilith stood by Sam's bedside, holding the bloody dripping knife at her side. Her pale skin and the wispy white fabric of her nightdress were drenched with blood, and she looked him in the eye and laughed.

"What have you done?!" he demanded. His feet felt heavy as lead, but he knew he had to get her away from Sam. He had to check if he yet breathed.

The darkness uncoiled like a serpent that had, until that moment, been trapped in a deep slumber.  He could feel it taking over. Heard Cain's voice in his head, telling him never to drink too deep of the power, lest he lose himself, and yet no longer caring for such things.  He had to save his Omega, and if he could not... he had to take vengeance on the creature who brought him harm.

Lilith swayed unsteadily on her feet, still not in her right mind.  But even in her state she seemed to recognize danger.  Her eyes went wide as she watched dark tendrils spread through the veins in Lucifer's neck.  They grew up through his neck, and down the sinewy muscles of his bare arms.  His eyes, filled with hatred and death, began to glow with a white hot internal fire.  As he looked upon his wife, he wished that her soul would burn with the very fire of a thousand suns.  That she would feel the flames of her own hatred and malice... and that it would pale in comparison to the feel of his own.

Lucifer stalked towards her.  She held out the bloody dagger in trembling hands, readying to defend herself, knowing this was the end.  Finally her voice found purchase.  She let out a blood curdling scream that pierced through the entire fortress and rushed forward towards him.

He was quicker than she was, and stronger.  Before the dagger could reach its target, Lucifer grabbed Lilith by the neck and lifted her off the ground.  His grip slowly choked the life from her until finally, the dagger clattered to the floor.

"I know you think death will be your final release, after all your suffering..." he whispered into her ear as the world went black.  "But this is just the beginning.  My powers do not end in the mortal realm, and I will see that you spend all eternity suffering for what you have done."  Just before she blacked out completely he let her down to the ground.  He let her catch her breath.  And with a sudden movement too quick for her to catch, Lucifer held her shoulder with one hand, and plunged the other into her chest, ripping her beating heart from her chest.

In the moment before she died, Lilith saw a creature of the Dark God looking back through the eyes of the man who had once been her husband.  It had wings black as night, so large and dark they blotted out nearly all the light in the room.  And by the light of the power shining through Lucifer's eyes, Lilith saw her own heart stop beating.

 

* * *

 

Cain did not know how he would tell Castiel the truth, but he knew the truth would likely be the only way he could convince the man to help them.  He knew it would be easier once the Omega felt more at ease, with its mate and child safe, but he needed to speak to him, and he could not help feel that time was running out.  

Time indeed was running out, but not quite the way he expected.  Guards came running down the hallway, calling for him.  The entire fortress was in a clamour as news spread of a commotion in the King's chambers.  It was not immediately clear from the soldiers, if it was the King's Omega who turned on him, or on the Queen.  Or perhaps the King had turned on them?  But all assured him blood had been spilled that night.

He ran.  He should have seen this, or something like this coming.  He should have but he did not, and so he ran.

Upon reaching the King's quarters, he realized he was alone.  No guards would follow him near the room, and when he entered the room he could see why.  Lucifer no longer looked like himself.  His skin was marked by inky black veins that reached outward through every limb.  Like, his brother, the traumatic situation had brought out something terrifying and beautiful in him... a power that was emanating through his body like heat.  Where Castiel's wings were white as snow, Lucifer's were black as night.

He held Sam in his arms, cradled in his lap, with his wings wrapped around them both.

"Lucifer?  What's happened?" asked Cain slowly.

Lucifer's head snapped up and Cain had to lower his eyes upon seeing the mystical light in the King's eyes.  "I will kill you if you come near him?"

"Is he dead?" asked Cain, unshaken by the King's threats.

"She took him from me." Lucifer babbled, answering the question in riddles.  "I know it is my own fault but... she took him from me.  How could she?"

Cain took yet another step closer.  He stopped when he saw the wings twitch threateningly.  He could see Lilith's body lying in a sticky pool of blood on the floor.  Lucifer was drenched in so much blood, it was impossible to tell who it belonged to anymore.  "Let me see him.  If there's a chance we can save him-"

"What chance?  There are no more chances.  I will not let you use his body as your plaything.  No demon will make his body a puppet, while I yet draw breath."

Cain's words were measured.  "Of course not.  But you know we were getting close.  I warned you not to try and use the power again until I could find a way to control it.  Look at this.  Look at what you've become.  Can you even control this?  I warned you.  All we needed was time.  The blood of the Wolves was the key, we knew that.  We were getting so close.  If Sam agreed to help us-"

"Sam has done enough!  Sam... Sam gave himself to me.  He would have learned to love me if you lot had given us the chance."  Lucifer sobbed as he gently stroked Sam's face.

To Cain's great chagrin, Sam stirred.  He was alive!  He was gravely wounded, but he was alive.  But Lucifer was mad with grief.  He could not be reasoned with.  He would not let anyone near his Omega.

There was no other choice.

Before ever he met Lucifer, Cain had sworn an oath.  He had great and terrible knowledge that nearly destroyed him.  It certainly destroyed everything he ever held dear.  Cain swore he would never use the power again himself.  He could make do with superficial spell work, but he would not touch the darkness in his soul.  It was the last thing keeping him from fully becoming the monster who killed his wife and child.  The last thing that remembered he loved them at all.  "Do not make me do this, Lucifer.  I beg you.  Release Sam to me.  I will not harm him.  I want to help him.  Please?"

Lucifer's eyes flashed brightly, and he gently shifted to slide Sam off his lap and onto the bed.  The moment he was free and Sam was safe, he lunged towards Cain.

Cain only had a breath to react, and he dove out of the way.  As Lucifer got to his feet again, Cain uncoiled the darkness in his own soul.

He was just a man.  A clever man.  A man learned in the darkest inner workings of the universe, perhaps, but a man nonetheless.  He had long suspected that the House of Eden had some power that mere mortals did not possess.  As he watched Lucifer grow in strength as the Darkness coursed through him, Cain felt it take more and more from his own body.  He could use it like a quiver of arrows.  Short bursts of power that sent Lucifer staggering back enough to let Cain find his feet. The Prince of Eden drank deep from its power and it flowed through his blood, fueling him. It was becoming him.

Lucifer surged towards him, his power terrifying as he bore Cain to the ground with sheer strength.  Cain whose power could raze armies to the ground, and earned him the title of First Blade. He could feel the burning gaze on him.  He could feel the burning in his heart.  In his soul.  Yes.  That's what Lucifer's power was trying to destroy within him as they struggled.  Not his body, but his soul.

"Listen to me!" he yelled, trying to reason with the King.  "I can save him!"  And when repeating that over and over did not work, he yelled, "I can bring him back!"

This got Lucifer's attention.  He stopped assailing Cain with his fists and regarded him.  He believed Sam was already dead, and now Cain spoke a language he understood.

"What makes you think you can bring back my Omega?  Your promises have been worthless thus far!"

Cain licked his lips nervously.  "My word means something to me, and I still live and breathe.  I have not given up hope yet, have you?  We swore a blood oath you and I.  We swore to bring our armies to the very borders of the Dark Lord's realm and to throw open the gates of the Dead to free our hearts trapped within.  Remember?  You said that you were a dead man already, as Death had claimed your heart, and you took pity on me and did not kill me because you saw that I was no different from you and you believed I could help you.  Do you remember? Look at you!  Look at the blood on your hands!  When we succeed, is this the monster she will return to?!"

Lucifer staggered back, looking dazed.  He stared at his blood covered hands, as Cain's voice echoed in his ears.  Everything he did was towards the goal Cain spoke of, but yet somehow it had been years since Lucifer really truly thought about her.  Now he could see her face in his mind's eye.

"Do you remember, Lucifer?"

The King fell to his knees, and when he looked up at Cain his eyes were blue again.  There was no sign of the black wings, though the room was littered with black feathers.

Cain rushed to his feet, wincing at the bruises blossoming on his body.  He was certain the bastard had broken one of his ribs.  Nonetheless, his focus was fixed, and he ran to Sam's side to assess the damage.  He was bleeding and weakened, but not dead.  Not dead yet.  Without needing to look much deeper, he knew that Lilith had nonetheless managed to take what she intended from her husband.  Sam would likely never bear children, should he survive.  His heats would be fruitless.

Turning towards the open door, where there was likely a score of trembling guards hiding just out of sight, Cain yelled, "SEND FOR THE HEALER!  QUICKLY!"


	24. To Save Sam

Time slipped through Cain's finger at an alarming rate.It was agony, knowing the longer they waited, the closer they came to losing the Omega.Cain mentally berated himself for his mistake.He had not been thinking clearly when he called for the Healer, he saw that now.By the time the Healer arrived, Sam's condition was already far beyond the man's skill, and summoning him brought with it a whole host of new delays and distractions.Servants milled about with clean linens and bloody rags, following the Healer's endless stream of orders, attempting to scrub away all evidence of Lilith's unseemly demise, and mostly risking their lives by getting underfoot and too near the King.

Cain sighed.There was little doubt in the man's mind that if Sam was lost that night, Lucifer's sanity would soon follow.

"I never liked her much anyways.Spoiled, simpering thing," said a voice at Cain's elbow.He startled, and turned to find an immaculately turned out Abbadon at his side.Apparently even woken in the middle of the night to a scene of abject horror, she managed to arrive with not a single hair out of place.Cain knew he himself looked ragged and disheveled.His arms and shirt were stained with blood from trying to restrain Lucifer in his madness, and more than that, he was exhausted.

"Liking her had nothing to do with it.She fulfilled a purpose, in Court and in the King's life.Now her madness will cost us all dearly."

Abbadon's blue eyes held scorn as they settled on Cain.Her voice dripped with it when she replied."I certainly live in hope that the Master Plan can survive the loss of one barren Omega.If I recall, you were the voice of reason, chastizing the King for letting his carnal desires take precedence over more important matters.It seems you will get your wish.The King will lose an Omega or two, and will either finally focus on your secret plans, or will replace them both in short order. What matter is it to us?"

Cain's face screwed up in disgust, and though Abbadon apparently did not notice, he saw the King look up sharply at their words."Not all of us find Omegas so disposable!" he snapped, quickly.Abbadon was savvy enough to follow his gaze, and wisely chose to hold her tongue.

It was wisdom that seemed beyond the foolish Healer, who at that moment decided to raise his voice and proclaim, "It is finished.Nothing more can be done but to summon the priest and mourners to bury this one."

With a loud, anguished cry, Lucifer was on him in an instant.The King's hands closed around the Healer's throat.They were used to taking the lives of far stronger men in battle, and the Healer's soft life did not prepare him to put up much of a fight.The feeble apologies were choked into silence before they could taste air.

Cain held no great love for the old man.He scoffed at Cain's work, as many including Abbadon chose to.But they had no time, and adding one more body to the night's count would only serve to lose more.

"Enough!" Cain yelled.Though the entire room was frozen in an eerily silence, except for the struggle, he was the only one not afraid to defy the King.Or to lay hands on him.He used all his strength to once more pull Lucifer away from his target and beg the King to calm."Please, we don't have time for this."

"Time?How can there be time when he is dead?!This fool killed him!Lilith killed him!I-"

"He is not dead yet!" Cain hissed into the King's ear so that only he could hear.  "If the Healer can do no more, send him and all this rabble away that we can turn to what forces remain to help Sam."

It took a moment for Cain's words to take hold of the King, but at last he took in a deep breath and released the old man."OUT!" he yelled.There were few in the room who needed to be told twice.

Only Cain and Abbadon remained, and the latter only until Lucifer fixed her with a single withering look and repeated himself "OUT!"

Cain had little doubt Abbadon would let the matter drop so easily, but as soon as the door shut he let go of Lucifer.

The King turned on him."How?"

There was no way to stop Death.Death came for them all in the end, but if the offer was right... "It won't be easy.There will be a cost, and as far as I know it has never been done.Who knows if you even have enough power for the spell to work..."Cain trailed off, but Lucifer seized on the word.

"Spell?Yes.My answer is yes.What use is this power to me if I can't save those I love?Whatever the cost."

Cain sighed.This was the reason he initially hoped the Healer could be of some use."You are a King.Your people need you.If you die, what hope is there for Sarah?"

Lucifer choked back a sob and went to sit at Sam's bedside.He held his hand, and brushed away the sodden strands of hair that clung to the Omega's face."All these years, trying to do what I could to turn back time.To bring Sarah back so that I could be a better man for her.If only I had put that effort into keeping her happy and safe when she was alive."He put his hand over Sam's chest, where the thinnest threads of life kept the flutter in his chest going."I will never stop trying to make amends to Sarah, but if I can save Sam before it's too late?There is no price I will not pay," he looked up at Cain, who could see the truth in Lucifer's eyes, "even if that price is my life."

Cain had hopes, and dreams, and regrets of his own, but he recognized the depth of grief in Lucifer's eyes.The sound of profound emptiness in his voice at the prospect of living on without love.If he were in the King's place, Cain knew he too would offer no less than his life and eternal soul.

He pulled out a knife from his belt and pressed it into Lucifer's hand."Then we have no time to lose."

If Cain were to try the ritual himself, it would take weeks of preparation.To compensate for his far too human limits, he would have to gather and prepare very specific ingredients.He would have to fast and prepare his body, and have trusted servants to complete the parts of the ritual he could not, once his body was weakened.It was risking a great deal to hope that the blood running through Lucifer's veins was made of sterner stuff.But there were so many signs, the wings not the least of them that had Cain wondering about the blood of the royal House of Eden.

Tonight would be a definitive test, if there ever was one.

Together, Cain and Lucifer covered all the windows and carried Sam from his bed to an empty spot on the floor.Since Lucifer had to retain his strength, Cain was the one to slice his palm and use his blood to draw the circle that would contain the two other men.The symbols had to be precise, but this was not Cain's first time drawing a Circle of Protection.It had become an important part of his work, one of the reasons he was likely still alive after all he'd done.

"Once the ritual begins, I won't be able to break the circle to help you.Do you understand?"

Lucifer nodded.

"Good.Then listen closely and do exactly as I tell you."

 

###

 

Dean resurfaced from beneath the murky depths of the Alpha's bloodrage.After months of struggling for control, sleep came to him as a friend.Instead of the endless abyss of grief and loneliness, Dean found a dream he thought lost forever.A small stone cabin in the Hunterlands, much like the one he grew up in.Coming home at the end of a long day, a hearty meal for his family slung over his shoulders.Light from a well tended fire spilling out from the crack beneath the door.And then, when it opened, there was Cas and a small boy running towards him.Calling him father.

His son.

The thought pulled Dean out of sleep with a start, and he blinked against the darkness, searching."Cas?"And unlike every time he woke and called for his Omega for months, this time he heard a reply.

"Here.Right here."

A hand slipped into Dean's, and he found himself tearing up at the sight of Cas beside him.He was not the wide-eyed, well fed young lordling who Dean was first captivated by so long ago.His dark hair was unkempt, and managed to add to the shadows beneath his eyes as it fell over them.Even the soft roundness added by pregnancy could not hide the sharp angles of his thin frame.

"You look beautiful," said Dean.

A bark of quiet laughter burst out from Cas' lips."I'm a complete mess.Things have not been easy for me since fate saw fit to part us.And now, this little monster demands all my waking hours."He smiled down into the blanket draped over his shoulder, where the wriggling pup was nursing.Dean followed his gaze, and for a moment they were both quiet, enjoying the perfection of their child.

Finally, Cas broke the silence with a sigh."Balthazar was by earlier.He says there's some fuss happening in the castle, and we should be on our guard.In case they come for us, there's something I need to ask you."

"Anything."It was an honest answer, but Dean's mind was racing.Whatever fuss was taking place up above, it could only mean more danger for his family.He strained against the chains binding him, but they held strong.

"Do you remember the night in the witch's cabin?"

"When I was finally able to mark you as mine?"

Cas ran a hand over the scar on his neck.  "Yes, but not that.  I meant the dream?  The prophecy and promise you made to take the thrones of Eden for me?"

"How could I forget?"It was the entire reason any of this happened, thought Dean with great bitterness.He cursed fate for its meddling, even as he knew he would never change a moment of it.Not when the path had given him a son."I still mean to keep that promise.My armies wait along the shore of Eden even as we speak.This is but a small set back.When we leave this place, I-"

Cas squeezed Dean's hand and pulled it to his chest.He held the Alpha's gaze."I want to go home.Please?Not here.I want to go home to the Hunterlands.It is the only place Henry can grow up safe and happy.Let us forget this madness.Let my brothers fight over scraps of my Father's kingdom.I want to go home.I won't risk Henry's life."

The look in Cas' eyes was heartbreaking.Dean was willing to give him the world, but he knew he could not give this to his Omega in that moment."The only way to protect Henry's life is to fight.They know of his existence now.They will search the ends of the earth to find him, and they will bring their armies to our door to reclaim him.We cannot go home."He hesitated."I cannot go home.I have to stay until I see every threat to us, crushed into the dirt.But you could, should, take the pup and go back-"

"NO!"

The anger in Cas' voice shocked them, as Dean went silent and the pup began to wail."Shh, shh my love.I did not mean to scare you."He rocked the child, until its cries settled into little sobbing breaths."Whatever happens, we stay together.I cannot go through what I did these past months without you.Not again.Not ever.Either you swallow your pride for us and take us home, or you find a way to protect us here while you play King."

The ultimatum stung.Worse, because Dean knew that their bond should be working to reassure his Omega.Was that all this was?A symptom of their broken bond?Or did Cas truly doubt his love for both of them?"Do you not trust me?"

Cas let out a frustrated breath."I love you, Dean Winchester.That does not mean I only rely on you to ensure my safety, and now Henry's.I learned the hard way that you will not always be around!"

"Let them come.Let them try to claim my son, or threaten your life again.I know I failed you once," his voice cracked, "but I promise you I will not do so again.Please believe me?"

Cas' face softened, but the sounds of boots and voices from outside crushed his response.

Abbadon entered the cell, her rage rolling off her in waves."On your feet, both of you!His Lordliness, the First Blade, has seen fit to send me as messenger to fetch you."She extended one long, dainty finger in Castiel's direction.

Dean let out a low growl and leaned as far forward as his chains would allow, to try and shield Castiel and Henry."You will not take them.If you try, I will die before I let you leave this cell alive."

Abbadon scoffed, but her head tilted in thought as she considered."You are the King of the Hunterlands, are you not?"

Confused by the change of questioning, Dean did not know what to respond so he hesitated and then nodded.

"Lucifer claimed that his exotic little Omega, Sam, belonged to you once.A brother was it?"

Dean did not like the way she talked of Sam, like property that now belonged to Lucifer.His growl of irritation brought an unsettling smile to Abbadon's face.

"Now, now settle down.I think I'll be magnanimous and allow you to accompany your Omega.I'll even see to it your pet guard is brought to watch over the pup while you attend your audience with the King."She smiled, and then to herself said, "After all, his Lordship the First Blade can certainly handle one more visitor."

 

###

 

Castiel did not like the idea of being separated from his pup, but he did not know what they were walking into.Balthazaar had proved loyal and trustworthy so far, and so he placed his entire world in the man's arms and said, "Take care of him," knowing he would.

"Unchain the Hunter," said Abbadon.The captain of the guards began to protest, but she outranked him and the matter was settled."He won't be unchained out here.He'll be going in there.The First Blade can deal with one Alpha, no doubt."

As the chains slid free from his wrists, Dean reached out to grasp Castiel's hand.He gave him a small, tight smile.Neither of them knew what they were facing in that room, except that it brought fear and anger to Abbadon... and only fear to the guards.

They barely entered the darkened room before the doors slammed behind them.

It took a moment for Castiel's eyes to adjust, but then he saw the single candle's light flicker against Cain's face and in front of him."God no..."

There was little that would cause Dean to let go of Castiel's hand, but the sight of his brother lying bloody on the floor managed it.  He cried out and rushed forward.  "Sam? SAM?!"

Cain barred his path."You cannot interrupt.It's too dangerous!"

That was when Castiel saw that Sam was not alone.He was so much a part of the darkness that he nearly disappeared into it, but beside Sam crouched Lucifer, eyes black, veins pumping through with darkness, and black wings furled behind him as he worked.

"What have you done to my brother?" Dean cried, and when he saw Lucifer draw his knife across Sam's chest he nearly lost his mind as he screamed, "You're killing him!"

"No," said Cain firmly, seemingly trying to diffuse the situation as best he could."Lucifer did not do this to Sam.Lilith did.She came in the night and tried to kill Sam.Lucifer stopped her.He killed his own wife to save Sam and now he is risking his own life to save him where the Healer could not."

Dean was not entirely convinced but he stopped fighting Cain's grip somewhat.Castiel did not understand."What is this?Why...?Why is he cutting Sam?" _Why does he have wings?_ thought Castiel, but he did not voice that one out loud.

"The ritual requires blood.Lucifer is trying to use his power to keep Sam's lifeforce from ebbing completely.He needs to connect blood to blood to do so.The symbols are unfortunate, but necessary," explained Cain.His voice was tired, and it occured to Castiel that if Dean really wanted to he could easily overpower the man in his state.

"It's not working," came Lucifer's voice.It had an odd echo to it that made it sound like he had many voices."I can feel his lifeforce, but it will not bend to my will.It does not recognize me."The last words came out as a choked sound.Castiel could see how much this discovery disheartened his brother, and he realized that Sam was more to him than he thought.He really loved him, and he was hurt to discover Sam's feelings for him were not strong enough to save his life.

Cain's face fell.He let go of Dean, who rushed forward to the edge of the circle.

"Sam?Sam can you hear me?You have to come back.You can't leave me like this.I need you, you hear?I need you to pull yourself together and come back.Sammy?!"

Castiel stepped forward to Cain's side."Can I help?I... I don't know what power exists in my veins, but surely if Lucifer can do something, I can?"

Cain shook his head slowly."I'm afraid it's unlikely you had any stronger of a connection to Sam than Lucifer did.Nor do we know the limits of your powers yet."

"And me?" asked Dean, raising his head to look up at them.His cheeks were tear stained, and Cas' heart seized up at the look of grief on his beloved's face.

"An ordinary human would not survive channeling such a spell.Not without more preparation than we have time for.Every one I've seen try it has died.The only reason I was willing to try this time is because we were desparate and I have seen such strange and wonderous things wrought by the bloodline of Eden.I hoped-"

"There is magic in our veins.Perhaps not like this," said Dean, gesturing to Lucifer, "but our people know of magic.We are not afraid of it like you Edenites are."

Lucifer's empty black eyes turned towards Dean.To be on the receiving end of their gaze was to feel fear.Even Cain shuddered and lowered his eyes when they settled on him, but the Alpha only looked back at him steadily.

"What choice do we have?Sam is all but lost.If the Wolf is willing, send him to me.  Perhaps his Alpha draws on magic we don't yet know of."

Cain protested, trying to warn them about the Circle of Protection, but neither Alpha was listening.Dean was across the circle in moments, and holding out his palm for Lucifer's blade.

Together the two men pressed their bloodied hands to the symbols carved into Sam's chest.The instant they made contact, a blinding bright flash of light burst outwards across the room and both Cain and Castiel were knocked off their feet.

Castiel did not know how long unconsciousness claimed him, but when he woke the curtains had been thrown back and sun was streaming into the room.He had been moved to sit in a chair by Sam's bedside, and oh!

"Sam!" he cried out in shock, leaning forward to reach for him.

The Omega was propped up by every pillow in the room, it seemed.He was very pale and looked like recovery would be hard won.But he was very much alive.

He smiled back at Castiel."Welcome back to the land of the living," he said, with a hoarse voice.

"I should say the same for you.You were... we nearly lost you there."

"So I hear."

Castiel looked about the room.Cain was sitting propped up against the wall on the other side of the bed, trying to stay vigilant, but dozing after his long night.Dean sat hunched over in the chair beside Cas, his head cradled in his arms as they rested on the bed beside Sam.

Only Lucifer was not near the bed.He stood by the window, staring blankly out at his lands.

Sam followed Castiel's gaze."I don't know what's wrong.He won't tell me, but... something is very wrong.He won't come to me."

Castiel frowned and went to his brother.Away from the peacefully resting trio, Lucifer's body radiated tense energy.He no longer had his wings, but coming near to him, Castiel gasped.One of Lucifer's eyes had returned to its usual blue, but the other... the other remained a black void of darkness.Disfiguring scars ran over that same side of his face and down his arms and chest.Though they were raw and red with blood, they seemed to be quickly blackening.Though he did not understand the power that saved Sam, and disfigured his brother, Castiel somehow knew that the cost Lucifer was paying would be more than just a less than pretty face.The darkness was visible in the way the man carried himself, as if in constant pain, in the way he seemed surprised by the movements of his own body.As if it was no longer entirely his own.

"Oh, Lucifer..." said Castiel softly, sympathetically.He went to put his hand on his brother's arm, but the man pulled away sharply.

"Don't!Don't touch me!" he hissed.Lucifer looked at Castiel with his good eye, and after a moment his manner softened."It doesn't matter.  It was worth it."


End file.
